I Caught Myself
by cupsoftea17
Summary: Hayley meets the ragin' Cajun and gets more than she bargained for. GambitOC
1. Chapter 1

001.

Her feet dangled a few inches from the ground. A gentle breeze ran through her long brown hair. She shivered since she only wore a t-shirt and a skirt but it didn't phase her enough to go back inside. There was too much going on inside the mansion. She needed to be alone, away from people and alone with her thoughts. The swing set in the backyard was her sanctuary. People knew when she was sitting there by herself, it was when she wanted to be alone.

People were coming out of the mansion and onto the backyard. While the younger ones sat on the grass, the more older kids had a football in their hands and a smile formed on her face. It was always amusing to watch mutants playing a game of football. All of them used their special abilities to win for their team, causing almost every game to go to overtime.

A couple of the younger kids saw her looking and waved at her. She smiled brightly at them, waving back. Ah, she remembered the days of being a kid at the school. It had been fun. Professor Xavier had been kind enough to bring her and provide her with everything that she needed when she had nothing to offer in return.

"HEY HAYLEY! WANNA PLAY?" Piotr called out to her, jokingly flexing his biceps towards her. The other kids giggled.

Hayley rolled her eyes and waved him off. "No thanks, Pete. Thanks though." She'd rather watch than play.

Her green eyes fell upon the bench in front of the flower bushes. The flowers were in full bloom now. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the bench. Her heart pained at the old memories. But that's what they were. Just memories.

She held onto the grey Zippo lighter. On the sides was a drawing of a shark with its jaws open. Her finger traced over the lines and she did her best to hold back the tears that were ready to escape. She would not cry for him. She had done enough of that. She would force herself to be strong and move on instead of moping around and wishing for stupid things that would never come true.

Easier said than done.

She was still hopeful. She still wished on stars and when the time read 11:11. These were all foolish, childish things to do especially since she was no longer a child.

But she felt like a child. A child that had been left abandoned by the people who were supposed to care about her.

He had left her.

John Allerdyce had broken Hayley Madden's heart by abandoning her.

And Hayley felt like a fool.

He left with her his most treasured Zippo lighter as if that were to make the abandonment okay. Hayley scoffed at it but she still kept it. It was her reminder of him, though she was angry with him, she still cared for him. She loved him.

It's hard to forget your first love.

Hayley's eyes wandered towards the bench. That was where they had first taken notice of each other about six years ago when they both had been students at Xavier's School for the Gifted. The bench was where they had started to get to know each other. It was the first of many- their confession of adoration for each other, their first kiss and their first "I love you"'s. It was also there that John had decided to tell her that he was leaving.

She closed her eyes, not wanting the tears to fall. It had been almost two months ago since the day he left but it pained her as if it had happened just yesterday. He had never given her a real explanation- he just left with her a last kiss and his Zippo lighter. He never told her when he'd be coming back.. that is, if he ever was going to come back. Or even why he had left. He just left.

"Hey kid."

Hayley turned around to see Logan walking towards her. She chuckled when he felt a small push from behind, giving her a light swing. She lightly pumped her legs to keep the momentum. "Didn't know you were back, Logan."

"Just got back now," he said, taking a swing beside her. "How are the rest of the squirts doing?"

Hayley chuckled. "Doing well as you can tell," she said, pointing towards the football game. Piotr had a bunch of the smaller kids holding onto him as he trudged along the grass without being out of breath.

"What about you, Logan?" she asked.

Logan shrugged, pulling out a cigar from his jacket pocket. He lit it, sticking it in his mouth. "Just here and there." He let out a puff of smoke into the air. Hayley wrinkled her nose.

"Just cause you've been away for a while doesn't mean that Professor's gonna allow you to smoke around here."

"I know." He continued to smoke. "So how are you?"

Hayley looked at the ground. "I'm good."

"Kid, remember who you're talking to. I know you better than pretty much everyone else here," Logan pointed out. He dug his feet into the ground to bring his swing to a stop. "It's about Pyro, isn't it?"

"John."

"Whatever kid." He turned towards her. "You gotta get over him. Once was enough. I don't want to see you moping around like last time this happened."

Hayley scowled. She didn't want to be reminded of the last time John decided to run off. The last time, the mansion had been seiged by military men led by a man named William Stryker. They had captured some of the students while Hayley, John, their friend Rogue and Bobby had escaped with the help of Logan. Teaming up with some enemies, they fought against Stryker but John had left to go side with Magneto.

But they had reunited when there had been an epic battle on Alcatraz Island. It had been one of the hardest nights of Hayely's life. But later, John admitted defeat, admitted that he had been wrong in what he had done and the X-Men had accepted him back. Hayley had accepted him back and their relationship had been renewed and stronger than ever.

Or so Hayley thought.

"It's not easy," she snapped. "I love-,"

"If he loved you as much as you do then he wouldn't have left." Logan looked at her sternly. "You don't deserve him. You deserve better."

"Don't. Don't you dare tell me what to do and who to love," she said harshly.

"I'm just looking out for you, kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Logan," Hayley said firmly.

"Anyone younger than me is still a kid, you should know that," he chuckled, making a joke about his inability to grow old due to his healing powers.

Hayley smiled but sighed.

"I'm serious Hayley. Stop moping around for Pyro. He ain't coming back and if he does, well, he doesn't deserve you."

Hayley shook her head. "You don't understand."

Logan let out a frustrated growl. "You don't understand yourself, kid. You don't understand that he's gone and you need to move on with your life. I'm sorry but that Pyro is a piece of shit who can't see what he's lost."

She narrowed her eyes at him. She was a bit touched by his words and she knew he meant well but it hurt. "Well, what about you? What about Jean died, huh?" she shot back.

It was a cheap shot and she immediately felt bad when she saw the hurt flash in Logan's eyes. Hayley sighed and made her swing come to a halt. "Logan, I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to bring that up.."

He shook his head. "It's alright, squirt. But that was a different situation." He stood up from the swing. "You need to wise up. Get your act together and move on with your life because kid, you deserve the best. And that Pyro ain't the best." He gave her a pat on the shoulder before leaving her on the swing.

Hayley couldn't help but feel frustrated with her feelings and the words that Logan had said to her. He was right despite how much she didn't want to admit it. She did need to suck it up. She had already gone through this same ole dance the first time he left.

Being the mopey, lovesick, heartbroken girl was not the girl that Hayley intended to be. She didn't like to depend on other people nor did she like to invest her emotions into other people. She made the mistake of putting her feelings on the line with John. She was determined not to fall into that same trap again.

Logan is right. She needed to stop.

Hayley stood up from the swing. She tucked her hair behind her ears and walked towards the house.

She wasn't going to let John get to her. Not this time.


	2. Chapter 2

002.

"C'mon, focus, Hayley."

"I'm trying."

Her eyes narrowed at the metal steel door in front of her. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she heard the thumping sounds outside of the building. Sentinels were surrounding the building and she knew that she only had a few minutes to get this door open to grab the formula and get out before the Sentinels started to attack.

"We don't have much time left!" Storm hissed.

The pressure was building up on Hayley's mind. _C'mon, open the door, open it _she thought. _Open, open, fucking open!_

The steel door broke off and slammed against the wall. As Bobby went inside to retrieve the formula, Hayley stumbled backwards a bit, her head spinning. She felt someone catch her from behind. "You alright?" Rogue asked worriedly.

"Yeah, small headache," Hayley lied. It was a painful headache but she didn't want to tell her this. She just wanted to get this over with and go back up to her room to sleep.

Bobby came back out with the formula bottle in his hand. "Alright, let's move," Logan commanded.

Hayley focused on keeping her head straight. She shook her head lightly and ran behind the others. Her vision was a bit hazy and she found her eyes slowly closing.

"Hayley? Hayley? Hayley!"

The pain in her head overpowered her ability to focus. She felt herself collapsing and waited to feel the pain hit her back but someone had caught her in time before she hit the metal floor. She groaned and threw her arms around the person carrying her. "Oh my God.."

"It's alright, kid. You're okay," Logan said softly. "Shut it off."

"I'm sorry.." Hayley apologized in a low voice.

"Don't worry about it."

She opened her eyes and found herself being settled in a chair. Rogue and Bobby watched her with pity in their eyes. Piotr walked over to hand her a cup of water while Storm shut down the Danger Room.

Logan knelt down before her, a hand on her shoulder. "Feeling better, kid?"

"Peachy," she muttered. But her headache was slowly residing.

"You should really go to the professor about this," he said.

"I can handle it."

"This isn't the first time it's happened," a loud voice snapped.

Hayley looked up to glare at Kitty Pryde who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "This is about the fifth time it's happened and I'm sick and tired of having our training sessions cut short," she said crossly.

"Well Pussycat, maybe you should've stepped up to the plate and phased through the door instead of bitching about how much your leg hurts," Hayley hissed.

Kitty Pyrde was the thorn in her side ever since she had been a kid here at the school. Dear little Kitty, the cute innocent mutant that could walk through everything, walked into the classrooms with a sweet smile on her face and malicious intentions in her mind. She had even tried to steal John away from her and Bobby away from Rogue but failed miserably once Rogue came back to school and threw it down with her.

Hayley and Kitty had been at each other's throats since the very first day when they had training sessions in the Danger Room. Kitty always tried outsmart, outdo Hayley in everything that she tried to do and nearly tried to injure Hayley in a session about a year ago. They had been on bad terms ever since.

"Enough," Storm interrupted. She turned to Kitty and the other X-men. "We're done for today. You're dismissed."

"We'll save you a seat," Rogue said to Hayley as they walked past her.

Hayley slumped back into her seat, downing the cup of water. She crumpled the paper cup in her hands, frustrated with herself.

While her pyrokinesis was still working, her telekinesis had been weakened since the Alcatraz Island battle. Dr. Jean Grey, their beloved Jean Grey had been taken over by her inner personality, the Phoenix. The Phoenix controlled every bit of Jean Grey and in the end, the only thing she wanted to do was destroy everything around her. Hayley and Logan were the only ones who were able to battle against her- Hayley being a Level Five mutant just like Jean and Logan being able to heal rapidly.

Since the mind battle between herself and Jean Grey, her telekinetic powers had weakened. Slowly but surely she had been able to move objects, starting off small. She was able to lift up chairs and open doors but there were certain things that she hadn't been able to open instantly just yet. Such as the steel door from the training session.

Hayley didn't like being weak especially when she was a Level Five mutant, the highest level of mutation in history. She especially didn't like being weak in front of people like Kitty who would take in great satisfaction seeing her in this state of mind.

"Ready to walk back to your room?" Storm asked in a rather irritated tone of voice.

Hayley smirked. She knew that Storm didn't really like her much and the feeling was mutual. Hayley and John had been partners in crime when it came to messing around and not paying attention in class. Storm was not their biggest fan and Hayley knew that she wasn't pleased with Xavier's decision on letting Hayley stay at the school to possibly become a mentor or teacher.

"Yes m'am," she said in a mocking tone. Storm narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything.

Logan walked next to her as they headed upstairs. "Kid, you need to watch your tone."

"Oh Logan, I learned that tone of voice from the best," Hayley grinned, remembering Logan when he first arrived at the school. He smartmouthed everyone and got on everyone's nerves, especially the late Scott Summers.

She saw the curves of his lip go up. Her heart warmed. It wasn't easy to get Logan to smile.

"See you at dinner, kid," Logan said as they parted ways.

Hayley walked back to her room, relieved to have training done and over with. Her headache had gone away but her body ached. She grabbed fresh clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a quick hot shower before heading downstairs for dinner.

She showered, changed clothes and tied her wet hair back into a messy ponytail. She walked out of her door, heading downstairs. She greeted the students that passed by and ushered the slow ones into the dining hall.

Hayley walked into the kitchen and helped bring out all the plates for the kids. The plates hovered onto the table in front of each person. As Hayley walked past the tables to go eat with Rogue and Bobby, the kids murmured a thank you.

"Thank God that you have telekinesis," Rogue said, eating her meal.

"Seriously. Can you imagine the chaos if the kids went up to the counter one by one?" Bobby laughed.

Hayley giggled as she ate her dinner. She couldn't help but feel jealous when she saw how happy Rogue and Bobby looked. She was happy for them; they deserved each other but when she looked at the empty chair next to her, her heart mourned. She mourned for John to come back and sit next to her.

"Kitty was being a real bitch today," Rogue remarked.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "She needs to shut her mouth."

The three friends laughed, giggled and talked about a variety of topics during dinner. When they had helped clean up the dining hall, Hayley was told to go to the professor's office to talk to Xavier about something. She sighed. No doubt it would be about her episode in the Danger Room. She had avoided talking to Xavier about them before.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Come in, Hayley."

Professor Xavier was one of the nicest people that one would ever encounter. He was a kind old man unfortunately stricken to his wheelchair but still, he made the most out of it. Hayley looked at him and couldn't help but be amazed that he and archenemy Magneto were once best friends. They were completely opposite from each other.

Xavier lifted his head from the papers on the table and smiled. "Please sit. Logan should be coming soon."

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "Logan?"

Xavier said nothing. He waited for her to take a seat. "While we're waiting," he said, "let's talk about what happened today."

Hayley sighed. "Nothing to talk about. My telekinesis isn't strong like it used to be, that's all."

Xavier nodded. "I know. I know that you're trying hard and you are gradually improving." He grinned. "That's all that we ask for. For you to try."

Xavier always knew the words to say to make someone feel better. Granted he could read minds but Hayley knew that he didn't take advantage of his ability and that's what she liked about Xavier. He was a fair man and didn't force people into doing things that he wanted them to do even though he could make them do it.

"Professor. I was wondering-,"

"About John." Xavier's smile disappeared. "I'm afraid that he's using some sort of mechanism to block off my power. Something like what Erik used all those years." His smile came back. "He knows you too well, Hayley."

She bit her lip. "You don't know where he is? Not one clue?"

Xavier sighed. "I don't, Hayley. I'm sorry. I'm sure he's safe."

"Do you think he'll come back?" Her voice cracked.

Xavier paused. "That I do not know."

The door opened and Logan came in. Hayley cleared her throat, leaving her head down to force back her tears.

"Ah Logan. Sit." Xavier pulled his chair out from behind the desk and in front of the window. "There's a mutant down in New Orleans, Louisiana who's been causing a bit of a stir. He's known to steal and he's quite good at it. His real name is Remy LeBeau but his nickname is Gambit. Some prison guards gave him the nickname a while back. I want you two to go down there and bring him back to the school."

"Why bring back some thief?" Logan asked.

Xavier just smiled. It was quite normal for Logan to question every task that Xavier put out for him. "He has potential, Logan. He reminds me of you."

Logan grumbled and Hayley chuckled.

"You two should head out now and call me when you arrive in New Orleans. I'll be able to give you the exact location once you arrive."

"Anything we should know about this Gambit? Power-wise?" Hayley asked.

"Gambit is able to manipulate kinetic energy. Meaning he can put energy into anything, even something as small as a playing card. He also has a hypnotic charm that he uses to get things his way so be careful, Hayley," Xavier warned.

Hayley snorted. She doubted that some card-throwing thief was going to work his charm on her.

"Alright Doc. We'll call when we arrive."

Logan and Hayley walked out of the office and into the elevator.

"Ready for this, kid?" Logan asked.

"Oh yeah."

"Your telekinesis going to be ready?"

"It'll be fine," she gritted her teeth.

Logan chuckled. She knew it amused him to make her angry. Likewise.

"If you say so. If you don't feel good, you let me know."

They hopped into the sportscar that had once belonged to Scott. "It's gonna be a long drive. Need to use the restroom?" Logan asked.

"No but if you need to, I can drive," Hayley grinned.

He scoffed. "No way am I letting you drive this car. We'll get into some sort of fucking car wreck."

She pouted. "Why are you worried? You can't even die."

"Well you can."

"Now that's a lie. I could use my telekinesis to avert us away from any collision," Hayley shot back with a proud smile.

He chuckled. "Fasten your seatbelt, kid. Safety first."


	3. Chapter 3

003.

"You know, Logan," Hayley said with a yawn. "We've known each other for like, what a few years now and I don't know a thing about you!" She pulled the chair upright and covered her legs with the blanket. "Tell me about yourself."

Logan grimaced. "Can't you just sleep the entire way to New Orleans?"

"Nope."

It had been a day and a half since they left New York. Hayley had spent most of that time sleeping. She needed to rest.

"Are you sleepy?" Hayley asked.

"No." But she knew he was lying. His eyes were looking droopy.

"Pull over, Logan."

"I said I'm fine."

The car swerved towards the side of the road. They were lucky that the highway was empty. The engine died despite the key being in the car. Logan's door flew open and his seatbelt unbuckled. He turned to glare at Hayley.

"Cut this shit out. I'm fine."

Logan flew out of the car and onto the side of the road. He couldn't move and while he was forced against his will, Hayley unbuckled her own belt and moved into the driver's seat. She closed her own door and forced her passenger door open. "Kay, Logan. Hop in," she grinned.

Logan didn't look too pleased as he got into the passenger side. "Thirty minutes of driving. That's it."

"If you say so." She started up the engine and got the car back on the highway.

Within seconds, Logan's snores filled the quiet car. Hayley chuckled, making a mental note to poke fun at his loud snoring. If she were blind, she would've thought their car had picked up a grizzly bear.

It would take another day or so until they arrived in New Orleans. It would've been faster if they hadn't taken all those breaks for food. Hayley checked the tank. They were running low and there wasn't a gas station in sight but she wasn't worried. She could get the car moving with her ability until a gas station showed up. She tapped on the steering wheel, a song running through her head. She was alert and feeling good after her nap.

She thought about what the school was up to. A smile spread across her face when the thought of Bobby, Rogue, Piotr and Warren taking care of the monsters appeared in her head. She liked the students but when they were in class, they turned into little demon brats who didn't want to work but play. But she could thank them for her telekinesis being able to improve quicker; she had used it quite often to pin them in their seats.

John's face appeared in her mind and all her happy thoughts and feelings went flying out the window. Where was he? What was he doing? And whythe hell was he wearing some Magneto dork hat? She sighed.

John Allerdyce had always been distrusting of others and despite their history and their closeness, he didn't trust her 200% like she did with him. He knew her better than she knew herself and it was clear that he knew that she would try to use Xavier to find him. He was always a step ahead of him.

The countryside looked beautiful as the sun began to rise. Thoughts of John disappeared as Hayley sighed at the sight of the bright green fields. A city girl at heart, she giggled and squealed softly when she saw cows grazing and horses galloping down hills. She rolled down her window slightly, wanting to take in the crisp country air.

"Jesus kid, roll up the windows. It's cold!" Logan was awake in an instant, his eyes looking weary.

"Don't those muscles help keep you warm?" Hayley said, nodding at his biceps.

"No they don't," he said shortly.

"Ah, so they only help you rope in the ladies."

"Roll up your damn windows."

"Alright, alright," Hayley surrendered with her teasing and rolled up the windows.

"Where are we?"

"Birmingham," Hayley answered him. "We'll be there tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Finally."

"Pull over, I'm gonna drive."

"Nope." Hayley had already made up her mind to drive the entire way.

"Kid-,"

"I said no and you are going to deal with it. I'm not a kid anymore. I can drive and you know I'm a good driver," she snapped.

To her surprise, Logan chuckled. "You know, you've been snapping at almost everyone since you graduated from the school."

Hayley grinned. "Well, I couldn't snap at you guys when I was a student, right? I'd get detention."

"Good point."

She turned on the radio, flipping from station to station. She left it on when she finally found a decent station with decent songs to listen to. She tapped the wheel again to the beat of the song. "So Logan. Tell me about your life."

"What's there to tell?" he grumbled.

"I'm sure you have a lot of stories since you can live pretty much forever," Hayley pointed out. "Like, where you were born, what you did over the years.. you know, memories. Stories."

"I don't remember."

Hayley scowled. "Oh c'mon, you know you do-,"

"I said, I don't remember."

Hayley took her eyes off the road and onto Logan. He was telling the truth. His lips were set in a firm line, his eyes were staring straight ahead at the road in front of them. He looked frustrated and sad at the same time.

She felt bad for pushing him and accusing him of not remembering when he really didn't remember. "You.. have amnesia?" she asked softly. Before he could reply, she shook her head. "You don't have to answer it, actually if it makes you uncomfortable. I apologize for pushing."

"It's alright kid," he sighed, giving her a pat on the shoulder. He cleared his throat. "I don't remember too much about my past. Something happened to get me this way but I'm really not sure." He tapped his fingers on the temple of his head. "Remember William Stryker?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"He made me this way." Hayley heard the sounds of metal knives clashing with one another and through the corner of her eye, she could see the blades coming out of Logan's knuckles. "That day we went to Akali Lake, he told me that he had put adamantium in my body, making all my bones to metal."

Hayley's eyes bulged. "How did they manage to do that?"

"I remember being put in this glass tub of water, being strapped down," Logan said slowly. His eyes squinted, trying to remember. "They had all these needles inserted into different parts of my body and the adamantium was injected. I was the only mutant at the time who could survive the operation."

"Wow." She looked at the knives that were slowly going back into his body. "So were those.. metal things bone before then?"

"Probably."

Hayley shuddered at the thought of bones protruding out of his knuckles. "You'd have one hell of a Halloween costume," she remarked.

Logan laughed. "Yeah." He shifted in his seat and folded the blanket that had been covering him, tossing it in the back.

"What's the use of folding something if you're just going to throw it?" Hayley asked.

"Anyway," he said, ignoring her question. "What about you, kid? What's your story?"

Hayley grumbled words under her breath.

"Not ladylike to say those kinds of words."

"Well, my story isn't exactly great."

"Well, whose isn't when you're a mutant?" Logan asked. "If I could remember, I bet my story is even more fucked." He chuckled. "C'mon kid. This was your idea to talk and get to know each other."

He was right. "I don't know.. where do you want me to start?" she asked.

"Where were you from?"

"San Francisco."

"San Francisco?" Logan raised an eyebrow. "That's far from here. Professor find you?"

Hayley nodded. "Yeah, he found me. He told me about the school and convinced me to come here."

"Your parents okay with you coming here?"

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. Her throat felt dry. "Yeah."

Logan nodded. She knew that he didn't believe her. "So when did your powers start to manifest?"

She shrugged. "When I was young. I just remember being lazy and wanting the juice and suddenly, the juice box came flying at me. Made quite a mess," she chuckled.

"I'm sure," he smiled.

"The pyrokinesis, that appeared sometime later," she said softly.

"Any siblings?"

"Only child."

"Favorite.. color?"

Hayley smirked. "That's the best you got? My favorite color changes from time to time. Right now it's red but not that bright red, more of the dark red."

Logan challenged her smirk with a haughty look of his own. "Well then, Level Five, tell me when you're going to stop pouting about Pyro."

Hayley glared at him. "Stop bringing him up."

"I'll bring him up whenever I want," he said simply.

"You don't get it."

"What's there to get? Bad ass kid draws the attention of the good girl. The two are inseparable, causing mischief all around school. Drama happens- boy leaves to the dark side. Girl mopes but gets him back eventually because the kid realizes how stupid he's been and has nowhere else to go. Peace in the house for what, a few months-,"

"A year," she hissed.

"-A year and then he bolts again, this time, for no good fucking reason." Logan shook his head. "I don't get why you even deal with him. If he can't see how much he's hurting you by leaving then he doesn't deserve you."

Hayley was beginning to see red but did her best to control her anger. She knew Logan was just trying to be nice- he had a different way with words. But she didn't like the way he was belittlling John. He didn't know John the way that she knew him.

"I know you think I'm being mean because I don't know him. But you're better off without him," Logan said firmly.

"I'm hungry," she snapped, spotting a McDonald's on the side of the road. She drove into the exit road and headed towards the fast food joint. She pulled up to a parking space and got out, slamming the door shut.

Hayley heard Logan get out of the car and jog up next to her. She felt his hand on her shoulder and he turned her around. "What?" she hissed, tears in her eyes. "What more do you have to say about how stupid I am for being with him?"

"I never said you were stupid."

"Yeah, well you're thinking it," she growled. "You think I'm an idiot for moping over John. But you have no idea, no fucking clue to what kind of person he is. You're just like the rest of the people at school who judge him for his outward appearance but fuck! You have no idea who he is!"

"Hayley," Logan said sternly. "Calm yourself." He stared uneasily around the parking lot and Hayley followed his gaze. The cars in the parking lot were trembling due to her telekinesis. Hayley knew she had to calm down; her telekinesis tend to get out of control when she was too emotional.

"Yes I don't know Pyro as well as you do," he continued. "But you know what? Fuck him. You were a strong girl, Hayley before he came. Where is that girl? Where's the girl that didn't give a rats ass? Where's the girl who didn't need some boy to depend on?"

She shut her eyes and a couple tears slithered down her cheeks. Logan was right. He was always right.

"I'm sorry Logan for yelling at you."

"C'mere, kid."

Hayley felt his arms wrap around her small body, bringing her close to his chest. She let her tears fall a little bit, not wanting to bawl like a baby in front of Logan who then wouldn't know what to do.

"It's okay to cry, it's okay to be sad," Logan said softly. "But eventually you have to move on."

She knew he was talking from experience. His situation with Jean Grey was far worse than her own. At least John could come back to her if he wanted. Jean Grey never could. She was gone forever.

Hayley pulled away, wiping her tears away quickly. She gave him a small smile. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly.

"It's alright, kid." Logan patted her on the head. "C'mon, let's go get some breakfast."


	4. Chapter 4

004.

Hayley's eyes slowly opened when she felt Logan shaking her gently by the shoulders. She swatted his hands away- she hated being shaken awake. She sat up right from her chair and pulled it up straight. "We're here?" she yawned.

"Yep. Welcome to New Orleans," Logan said as they drove down the busy streets.

"Is it always this busy?" Hayley asked, in awe at the number of people on the streets who all seemed to be drunk and having a good time.

"I guess so." Logan pulled into an alleyway and shut the engine off.

The two got out of the car and out of the alley. Logan, with his keen sense of smell and hearing, found them a motel room. The lobbyist kept his eyes upon Hayley who glared at him. He didn't stop until Logan gave him the look of death. No one could withstand Logan's death stares and the cracking of his knuckles which were loud pops, thanks to the adamantium.

"Go take a shower, get changed. I'll call the professor and we'll find ourselves this Gambit kid," Logan said.

"You really should break the habit of calling people kid," Hayley said as she grabbed a few clothes from her bag.

"I told you. Anyone younger than me is kid."

"Well that's not fair because you're like 200 years old. And if you're gonna call everyone younger than you, kid, well, you better start calling the professor kid," Hayley pointed out.

"Just get changed?" Logan huffed.

Hayley rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom. She took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. The water was hot, just the way she liked it and washed her hair with the shampoo the motel provided.

She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her hair, soaking out as much water as she could. She wrapped the damp towel around her body and applied some eyeliner and mascara. She put on her clothes and wrapped her hair in the towel.

"Your turn, puppy." Hayley laughed hysterically at Logan's expression when she called him 'puppy'. It was priceless but he pushed her hard onto the bed. Still, it was well worth it.

"What did the professor say?" Hayley asked loudly.

"He's at some bar down the street," Logan yelled.

A few minutes later, Logan came out of the bathroom, clean and dressed. "Ready to go?"

"Of course."

"Now remember, don't use your powers unless it's necessary."

"And you remember to hold your temper unless it's necessary."

Logan rolled his eyes.

They ventured out of their motel room and down the streets. Much to Logan's dismay, he had to keep his arm around Hayley, posing as a couple because of all the drunken men out on the streets that kept approaching Hayley. Yet even with Logan's dominating appearance, the men still came up to her. It wasn't until Logan actually punched one in the face when the guys got the hint to stay away from Hayley.

"Temper temper," Hayley remarked.

"Well do you really want those guys hitting on you?"

"I didn't say 'Temper, temper' like it was a bad thing," she argued.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Sure kid." He paused, stopping in their tracks."You know, I don't know how you're going to get into this bar."

Hayley's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me, Logan? I'm 21!"

"What? Since when did you turn 21?!" he cried incredulously.

"Since two months ago." Hayley stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes.

Logan rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, definitely didn't notice." He chuckled and gripped her shoulder affectionately. "C'mon kid. Maybe if things go well with us and Gambit, I'll buy you a belated birthday drink."

Hayley chuckled. "Thanks, pup."

"Okay, you gotta stop that nickname."

"Well if you can call me kid, then I want to call you pup."

They walked a few more blocks down, still arguing about nicknames until Logan stopped them. "Here we are."

Hayley looked up at the bar name. "One Eyed Jack's," she said out loud. "I've never been to a pub actually."

"What did you do for your birthday then?" Logan asked.

"Midnight shots. That's about it."

He shook his head. "Definitely buying you a drink tonight no matter what happens." He pushed the door open, letting her in first.

It was a pretty nice pub, sophisticated and fancy. There were burlesque dancers all around, moving their bodies to the beat of the music. Several called out to Logan, dancing sensually to entice him but he ignored them, his head moving around to find their man.

Hayley avoided eye contact with the drunkards, linking arms with Logan. "Do you actually know what the guy looks like?" she asked.

"No." Logan whipped out his phone and dialed Xavier's number.

Hayley stood there a bit bored as Logan spoke on the phone. He hung up and sighed. "Well, Doc says that Gambit ain't here yet but he will be."

"Professor can see the future?"

Logan chuckled. "No but Gambit's been coming here since Xavier's been tracking him. Apparently, he has a score to settle with one of the locals here in poker." He led her to the bar and ordered a couple shots.

"So how long do we have to wait?" Hayley asked, sitting on the stool.

"As long as it takes."

The bartender didn't even bother to check for Hayley's ID; he looked terrified to be in Logan's presence. They clinked their glasses together and Hayley downed her shot. She made a face as the alcohol burned through her body. "What is it in shots that make your body feel like it's on fire?"

"Lightweight," Logan muttered. "Don't worry, we'll fix that. What do you want for a drink?"

"Blue Moon beer please."

He raised an eyebrow. "Thought you didn't drink."

"Just cause I don't drink doesn't mean I don't know drinks," Hayley said matter-of-factly. "I know Blue Moon is supposedly the best tasting beer."

He looked amused. "You really surprise me everyday, kid. I thought you'd want some girly drink."

"You can buy a Sex on the Beach after the Blue Moon."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you'll even be awake to drink it?"

Hayley rolled her eyes. "We'll see pup."

"Listen to me, that nickname is not gonna work-,"

"Hush and just buy me the beer."

Logan muttered profanities under his breath as Hayley giggled, amused that she got the last word in. As they sat there, drinking their beers, arguing and talking about everything under the sun, a few men came up to her, asking her to dance with them but Logan scared them off. She laughed, shaking her head.

"These guys must be super drunk to want to dance with a girl in a Batman shirt," she commented.

"Drunk and stupid," Logan added, laughing when Hayley glared at him.

"Do you want to dance?" Hayley asked, nodding over at the dancefloor. There weren't many people dancing however but the music was enough to make her want to dance. She knew his answer would be no but she was bored of just sitting there and talking. They could do that on their long drive back home. She tried to imagine Logan dancing, dancing alone, dancing with her and she had to laugh.

"Kid, does it look like I dance?"

"C'mon! What are you, scared?" she teased.

"No."

"Fine. Then I'll dance by myself." She grabbed her drink and hopped off the stool, walking over to the dancefloor. She knew that he would cave because of the guys that would most likely follow after her. Logan didn't like guys approaching her or Rogue or any of the girls back home, drunk or not.

It worked. Logan was there within minutes after seeing a guy eyeballing her from the side. He grabbed her arm roughly, dragging her off the floor. "Alright, you've had your fun."

"I barely danced!"

"Well too bad."

"C'mon, Logan, dance!" Hayley tugged his arm towards the dancefloor and twirled. She did every old school dance move that she could think of in front of him- she just wanted Logan to loosen up and have fun. He was always too serious.

"Enjoying yourselves?" A very beautiful woman came off her podium and walked over to them. She had an amused look on her face as she looked at the two. She leaned down towards Hayley. "Not a dancer, is he?"

Hayley shook her head and grinned. "I just want him to relax and have fun. Maybe you can help?"

The woman winked. "I think I can do a little something."

The only thing Hayley regretted about this whole situation was not having a camera on her. The image of such a beautiful woman dancing with Logan was priceless. No words could describe the moment right now. For the first time since she had known Logan, he actually looked downright terrified.

"Go, Logan!" Hayley cheered.

The woman laughed at his awkwardness but didn't seem phased. She turned around to face him and looked as though she was trying to teach him to relax and how to move to the beat of the music. Logan really did look like a miserable puppy but eventually, it looked as though he was starting to calm down a bit and let the music take over. It pleased Hayley to see a small smile on his face as he tried his best to keep up with the woman.

"Mon cherie, care for a dance as your friend over there keeps himself busy?"

Hayley jumped at the sudden voice in her ear. She turned around to find a man with a fedora over his head, covering his left eye. His hair, barely touching his shoulders, stuck out from underneath. His eyes were red which surprised Hayley. She had never seen such strong red eyes before on a person. He wore a brown trenchcoat and his hands were covered in black gloves. His lips were curved slightly upwards, a small but seductive smile.

He held up his hands in defense. "Didn't mean to scare you, beb." He stuck out his left hand further towards her. "So what you say?"

She smiled and nodded. Reality started to sink once the mystery man drew her close to him when she realized that much like Logan, she hadn't danced with anyone before. "Um, I might be bad at this," she admitted to the man.

The man laughed good-naturedly. "Nah, joli. Seen you for a bit with that man," he pointed over at Logan. "Dancing seems to be your forte."

"Joli?"

The man grinned. "Joli. Pretty, beautiful."

Hayley blushed.

"Don't blush. Just speaking the truth." He smiled. "You ain't from around here, are you? So what's the name of a beautiful face like you?"

"How could you tell that I'm not from around here?" she asked in mock shock. He laughed.

"And your name?"

Trying to remember all the movies and TV shows she watched where the girl was put in a situation similar to this, Hayley did her best to smile shyly. "I'll give you mine if you give me yours first."

The man grinned. Clearly it was working. Either that or this guy was an easy target. "Belle, let me introduce myself," he pulled away, still holding her hand. He took a bow. "The name is Remy LeBeau."

_Gambit!_

"And what should I call you?" he asked.

She grinned. "I'm Hayley."

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Miss Hayley."

She giggled softly when he kissed her hand and pulled her back to him, twirling her around so her back was against his body. She snuck a glance over at Logan who was busy dancing with the woman. She tried to grab his attention but his attention was clearly on the woman. She sighed. _Alright, play this one cool_ she thought to herself.

"So you here alone?" he asked in her ear.

It was hard to keep focus with his sultry accent in her ear and his breath tickling her neck. It was especially hard knowing that one of his mutations was a hypnotic charm. Hayley cursed herself and forced herself to not fall into the trap. "Mm no, I'm here with someone." She turned around to face him.

Gambit's face hardened a bit. "Your beau?" he asked. She could hear a hint of bitterness in his voice.

She shook her head. "Definitely not. He's just a friend."

The answer seemed to soothe Gambit because the smile came back to his face. He looked over at Logan and chuckled. "He seems to be having fun. Well, if you're going to be around in New Orleans for a little longer, maybe Remy can show you around."

She smiled. "That sounds nice."

They danced for a bit, flirting with one another. Or rather Gambit flirting with her and her giggling like a school girl. Their bodies moved in sync with each other, swaying to the beat. His hands remained on her hips, not going any further down or up. _A _gentlemen she thought approvingly. She giggled like a school girl whenever he called her a pet name but cursed herself for being such a child. _Focus, Hayley._

"Wanna get a drink, belle?" he asked, holding her hand.

"Sure."

Suddenly Hayley felt herself being pulled away from Gambit and she knew that Logan had finally snapped out of his trance with the woman. He pulled Hayley behind him, glaring at Gambit who merely chuckled at his protectiveness. "Relax, I was just talking to her and maybe play a round of poker. Nothin' was gon' happen." He winked at Hayley. She smiled, knowing that he wanted her to follow his story.

"You better take a couple steps back and you get your hands off of her, bub."

Hayley groaned, shaking her head. She broke out of Logan's grip and cut in between the two men. "Alright, relax. He's telling the truth, Logan. We were just dancing, talking about getting drinks and playing cards. You like poker, don't you? You can join us."

Logan didn't let down his intense glare. Gambit held up his hands in self-defense. "You're more than welcome to join us," he said with a cheeky grin.

Hayley turned to face Logan. "See? He's a nice guy." With a low whisper that she knew only Logan would hear, she spoke again. "Remy LeBeau is a native here.. he's offered to show us around town."

At the sound of his name, Logan let down his glare. Only slightly though. "Keep your guard up, kid." He looked up at Gambit. "You any good at Poker?" he asked.

Gambit grinned. "Why don't we sit and find out?"

He led the way through a door. In the room were a bunch of tables scattered all around with men playing some cards. There was a small bar with a rather bored-looking bartender.

"Here we go," Gambit said, leading them to an empty table. "Anything to drink?" His question was directed more towards Hayley than Logan.

Logan shook his head while Hayley nodded. "Margarita on the rocks."

Gambit winked. "Coming up, joli."

Hayley sighed as he walked away. Logan snorted. She looked at him. "Now what?"

"That hypnotic ability of his is pretty damn strong if he has you wrapped around his finger," he commented.

She rolled her eyes. "That woman must have that ability too, since you suddenly busted out some moves."

Red in the face, Logan growled at her. "Just keep on doing that flirty shit with Gambit and I'll corner him."

"And how are you going to do that?" she hissed.

Logan couldn't answer her question because Gambit came back with drinks. He set the drinks down at the table. "Now what brings you two to town?"

"Friends," Logan answered stiffly.

Gambit nodded. He pulled out a deck of cards from his jacket pocket. "Now what are we betting on?" he asked, shuffling the cards.

Hayley looked blankly at Logan. He looked serious, more serious than usual and she knew that he was thinking of a plan.

"Money? Ya'll got cash on you?" Gambit asked.

"I'm afraid we'll be needing the money for our trip back home," said Hayley.

Gambit laughed and leaned in close to Hayley. "But why not take a chance? Maybe you'll come up with more, maybe you'll come up with less."

"Not much of a risk-taker," she replied.

He sighed happily and brought his hand up to her face, gently caressing her cheek. "Well, where's the fun in life if you don't take risks?" he asked softly. His red eyes seemed to be penetrating the depths of her soul. "You only got one life to live, beautiful. Take some leaps of faith."

"Ahem."

Gambit and Hayley pulled away from each other when Logan cleared his throat. He gave her a Look but she rolled her eyes. Gambit merely chuckled. "So, think of something..." he trailed off, not knowing his name.

"The name's Logan."

"Logan," he finished his sentence happily. "Think of something to bet on. Or someone.." Gambit's eyes roamed over to Hayley and she blushed.

Logan was not amused by his flirtation. "How about we make this more than money?" he challenged.

Gambit raised an eyebrow. "More than money?" he echoed.

Logan nodded. "Let's say if I win, then you-,"

"Remy LeBeau."

Gambit's eyes widened in fear and anger. Hayley and Logan both turned around to see a rather large and hefty man surrounded by even bigger, well built men. The large man wore a sharp suit, something that you'd see in those mafia movies. His eyes roamed the table, his gaze on Hayley longer than it had been on Logan. Hayley rolled her eyes and turned to take a sip of her drink.

"Well," Gambit said, sounding pleased to see him though she could see the strained look on his face. "Mister Naples. About time you showed up. Come, take a seat." He nodded at the other men. "Your boys gon play?"

The man Mister Naples nodded at a couple of them and two of the smaller ones took a seat. Hayley was glad to be sitting in between Logan and Gambit for the two men looked rather intimidating. She finished her drink and stared at Logan blankly. She had no idea what to do now since all they had come here for was to bring Gambit back to the school but now, these men had complicated their plan. Things were about to get interesting.

Logan gave her a look that said to play along. She nodded slightly and acted interested. She really had no idea how to play poker but it couldn't be that hard, right? She decided to watch the men play first and then figure it out on her own.

"You know boys, I think I'll just sit out for this round and watch," Hayley announced, getting up from her seat.

Gambit looked a bit amused. "Don't know how to play, do you?"

"No," she admitted.

He laughed. "It's alright, belle. You can just watch."

"And who are they? Friends, Remy?" Mister Naples asked in a rude voice.

"Guess you can say that," Gambit replied.

Logan made a sound but no one paid any attention to him.

Gambit split the cards up and the game started rolling. She watched as the men laid their bets- money down on the table and watched in amusement when one by one, the men called it quits and laid down their cards. She grinned when it was just Logan and Gambit against each other. In the end, Logan lost but only a little bit of money.

"See, the thing is, Hayley, you gotta act like you have the best cards in the world," Gambit explained to her softly. "Even when you don't have the best. Even when you have the worst, you gotta keep a poker face."

"So that's where the word came from," Hayley said thoughtfully.

He chuckled and pulled out her seat. "C'mon cherie. Play a round."

Hayley sat back in her seat. Gambit handed out the cards once again before Mister Naples stopped him.

"Actually, I'll deal this round," he said, extending his hand for the cards.

Gambit smirked and handed it to him. "If you insist."

"So!" Mister Naples said loudly. "What's the bet here? What are you all willing to put down?"

"What, the money not good enough for you?" Gambit said amused.

"Here's how this round will play out," Mister Naples said, passing out the cards. "If you win, debt's off. You're a free man."

Hayley looked at Gambit who looked ready to kill someone. He gripped his glass cup hard. "And if you win?" he asked in a low voice.

"Well," Mister Naples said with a grin, "Things will get interesting."

"Alright, let's play the damn game," Logan said, cutting off the angry tension.

Mister Naples turned to look at him. "And you are?"

"C'mon Mister Naples," Gambit interrupted. But the man wasn't listening.

"Do you want to make a wager of your own?" Naples challenged.

Hayley groaned. Men and their fucking egoes. She prodded at Logan. "C'mon Logan, don't," she coaxed.

"Tell you what. If you win, then you take the money. If I win," Naples's eyes hovered over Logan's watch. "I'll take that fine piece of jewelery."

Hayley took in a sharp breath. The watch had sentimental value to Logan. She knew that it was something that had come from his past and even though he couldn't remember, somehow, he knew it was important.

But Logan was not one to back down from a challenge. "Let's deal."

Hayley groaned and took a look at her cards. She knew nothing about the value of each one but decided to do what Gambit said. Poker face. She put down a couple dollar bills in the middle of the table.

But eventually she bailed out. The other men bailed out as well, leaving only Logan, Naples and Gambit at the table. Challenging stares and words flew out of their mouths as time went on. Quite frankly Hayley was tired of watching. This wasn't supposed to be part of the plan.

She got up from her seat to go use the restroom but she felt a rough hand wrap around her wrist. She turned around to find one of Naples's men glaring at her. She glared back and tried to pull out of his grip. "What the hell, let go of me!" she hissed.

Logan and Gambit both stood up from their seats, angry and ready to rescue her but Naples still remained in his chair, casually glancing over at his cards.

"No one leaves the room during a game, little lady," he said dryly.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "That's bullshit, I have to pee!"

"And that's not exactly lady mannerisms."

"Let go of her, bub," Logan said warningly, fists clenched. He stood up from his seat.

Suddenly all of Naples's men withdrew guns hidden in their jacket pockets. They pointed the guns at them, ready to pull the trigger when the order was given. Gambit glared at Naples.

"Leave those two out of this. They ain't got nothing to do with us," he growled.

Naples stood up from his seat, taking the money from off the table. He snorted with laughter.

"You brought them here, Remy." Naples grinned. He nodded towards his men.

But Hayley shut her eyes and concentrated on making the guns disentregrate. She had the image of the guns exploding into a million pieces, turning into ashes on the floor and she focused on turning that image into reality. She knew it was a bit of a stretch to destroy at least fifteen guns at once but she had to try. Logan would be fine dealing with guns but she and Gambit wouldn't be.

"What the hell!"

There were loud explosions as each gun popped into ashes and fell to the floor. The man let go of Hayley, in awe and shock at what had just happened. She ran towards Logan who embraced her and then pushed her back behind him. She turned around to face Gambit whose jaw dropped.

"You did that?" he whispered quickly.

But there was no time for explanations. Naples was in shock and furious at what happened.

"Finish them off! I don't want them out of here alive!" he barked.

The men circled them, ready to attack. They flexed their muscles and punched their fists into their palms. But Hayley and Logan smiled at each other. Without their weapons, they were hopeless.

"Ready to rumble, kid?" Logan asked, his knives coming out of skin.

"Born ready."


	5. Chapter 5

005.

In a matter of seconds, everything turned into pure chaos in that small room. Many of the other guests ran from the room, terrified at what was going on and Hayley couldn't blame them. She'd be speechless and pissing in her pants if she saw tables and chairs floating around on their own.

These men were easy to deal with it. Most of them were petrified of Logan's metal claws and tried to steer clear. Some of them went after Hayley, thinking that she didn't have any sort of sharp object on her but she used her telekinesis to send them flying through the walls of the room.

"You doin' alright, kid?" Logan yelled as he fought Naples's men.

"Hell yeah!" Hayley turned around to see Gambit being outnumbered by his men. She ran to him, holding out her hand. The men fell to the ground, groaning and moaning. She knelt down before Gambit, touching his hand. "You okay?" she asked worriedly.

Gambit chuckled, a grin on his face. "Don't worry about me, Hayls. Remy will be fine."

Hayley grinned and helped him up to his feet. "You're quite the fighter," she commented.

"Not too shabby yourself, belle."

Hayley saw a man coming up from behind Gambit and she pushed him out of the way, holding up her hands towards the man. The man's chair flew out of his hands and into the wall. The man looked shocked and then furious. Before Hayley could react, he had his hands around her throat. She choked, gasping for air.

"Not so tough, are you?!" the man sneered, putting more force behind his grip.

Hayley managed to shoot a smirk at him before placing her hands on his shoulders. Her hands started to glow in reddish-orange colors and the man shrieked wildly, removing his hands off from around her neck. His shoulders were on fire and he ran out of the room, trying to find some way to take the fire out.

"You alright, doll?" Gambit asked, approaching her. She was bent over, coughing hard.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said, waving him off.

She heard him laugh. "Got some fight in ya. Remy likes that."

Hayley heard Logan's gruffs and groans and she saw Logan being surrounded by all of Naples's men. Eyes narrowed, she held out both her hands and quickly removed the men one by one away from Logan. They went flying in every direction, most of them not getting up after they hit the wall or some other hard object.

"Thanks kid," Logan huffed, exhausted.

"No problem, pup," she giggled. His eyes narrowed and she shrugged.

"Hold it right there!"

Naples stood alone with another gun in his hands. _Fuck!_ Hayley thought. She had thought she destroyed all of the guns and they had been so caught up in fighting his lackeys that they had completely forgot about him.

Gambit cleared his throat, holding a stick in his hands. "I said leave them be. They ain't part of this."

"These two are fucking freaks! Freaks, you hear me!" Naples spat, glaring at Logan's metal claws and Hayley laying on the ground. "The world would be a better place if these things weren't around!" He held up the gun towards Logan. Logan merely grinned.

Hayley chuckled. Gambit turned around to look at her, bewildered at her reaction. She winked. "He'll be fine."

Naples shot a round of bullets at Logan. Logan stumbled backwards, grunting in pain but he didn't fall. The bullets kept hitting him and to be honest, it was quite gruesome for Hayley to witness even though she knew he'd be alright. She held her breath as blood poured out of the bullet holes.

The bullets finally stopped flying and Naples looked so sure, so proud of himself. So when the bullets slowly popped out of Logan's body one by one, falling to the ground, Hayley had to hold in her laughter as Naples's face expression went from satisfaction to shock. "What, no! Impossible!"

"Is that all you got, bub? That just tickled," Logan sneered.

Naples pointed the gun at Hayley and shot a couple rounds. Hayley focused on the bullets, forcing them to divert away from her but they wouldn't. Pain shot through her head and she stumbled backwards a bit. She had over-worked her telekinetic powers.

"HAYLEY!" Logan roared.

Suddenly Gambit stepped forward. From his pocket, he quickly pulled out a couple of cards and threw them at the bullets. The cards magically cut through the bullets and the pieces scattered on the floor.

"Holy shit," Hayley and Logan muttered.

Naples's eyes bulged out from its sockets. "You- you're one of them!" he yelled.

"Damn straight, mister and now I suggest that you get the hell outta here before something dangerous happens to you," Gambit said warningly.

Naples nearly sneered and pointed the gun at Gambit. "If you're one of them, then you gotta go too."

"Nah, boss, I think you'll be the one leaving."

A card flew at Naples and he immediately was thrown against the wall. He slumped against the wall, completely knocked out.

Logan walked over to Hayley. "You alright, kid?" he asked.

"I'm okay," she lied, massaging her temple.

"Let's get outta here," Logan said.

Police sirens were getting louder and louder. Logan's metal claws went back into his skin and he led Hayley out through the backdoor. Gambit followed them out, picking his hat from off the floor.

"Alright, friends, it's time to part ways but it was sure nice knowing y'all," Gambit said as they walked down the alley away from the burnt down bar. He tipped his hat to Logan and took Hayley's hand. "Mon cherie, take care of yourself." He kissed her hand.

Logan rolled his eyes and Hayley smiled. Gambit turned to walk away when suddenly he stopped. "Hey what's-,"

"You're coming with us," Logan said.

Hayley's headache was going away now and she was able to turn Gambit around. Gambit looked shocked and a bit angry. "I ain't going anywhere but home."

"Well, you're gonna have yourself a little vacation."

Gambit snorted, looking at Logan then to Hayley. "What's this all about now? Can't get enough of Remy, can you?" he said with a wink to Hayley.

She rolled her eyes. "We know who you are, Gambit," she said. His eyes widened. "And we're here to bring you back to New York where there's someone who wants to meet you."

Gambit's face turned into a scowl. "I ain't ever going back," he said firmly. "You ain't taking me there."

Hayley was a bit confused at his comment. "No one's gonna hurt you there, Gambit. Trust us."

"Trust you while you have me frozen up, beb?" he said with a smirk.

Hayley gave him a smirk of her own. "Now how do we know that a card-throwing thief like you isn't going to run away from us?"

"Guess you gotta trust me on that one," Gambit merely said.

She relented. He stretched out his arms and chuckled. "I like you, Hayley. There's something about ya that I can't quite put my finger on but I like it." He tipped his hat and turned around.

"Hey! Where the hell are you going?" Logan yelled.

"Somewhere," Gambit called out.

"I'm going to slice that son of a bitch-,"

"Let me handle it," Hayley said with a smile.

She jogged after him. "Hey! Gambit!"

He turned around with a smile on his face. "Yes, beautiful?"

Hayley smiled and circled him. "Just wanted to tell you that I had a great time tonight before the whole poker fight." She brushed off the dirt and ashes from his jacket. She traced a finger down his chest and gave him a mischevious grin.

"I'm glad that you had a great time," he said. "I had a great time myself. I'm sorry I ain't coming with you back to your home." He sighed, putting his arms around her body. "Imma miss you, joli."

"Me too," she said, sighing sadly. She batted her eyelashes. "Well?"

"Hm?"

"Ain't dashing Southern gentlemen supposed to give their ladies a goodnight kiss?" she asked with a giggle. His red eyes were so dramatic and piercing.

Gambit chuckled and used a hand to push her hair back behind her ear. "Well, I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't give a beautiful woman her goodnight's kiss, now would I?"

He leaned in and with another smile, he captured her lips.

Maybe he was using his hypnotic charm on her. Or maybe it was because she felt so vulnerable after John left. But his kiss, there was something about his kiss that was different from John's. This felt more passionate, more wild and free. She found herself getting lost in the kiss. Her hands gripped his jacket tighter when she felt his tongue gently graze her lips gently.

But Hayley knew that she couldn't get herself in too deep.

She slowly pulled away, giving him one last peck on his lips. "Wow," she breathed.

"Mm, Remy can do that to ya," he chuckled. "Maybe I'll see you round when you come back down here to visit."

"Hmmm yes, we'll be seeing a lot of each other," she said, pulling away from him.

Gambit looked confused. "What?"

Hayley stepped backwards as Logan approached Gambit from behind and hit him over the head. Gambit fell forward, completely knocked out. She felt bad for fooling him around like that but knew it had to be done. He would never listen to them. He would've never followed them against his own will. She knew his type- he was like John, like herself without the seductiveness. They were all loners, wanting to do their own thing.

"Well that was sickening to watch," Logan commented.

"Hey! You must admit that I did a pretty convincing job out there," Hayley said. She pointed down at Gambit. "What should we do now?"

Logan peered out of the alley way and then knelt down to hoist him over his shoulders. "Well, he's had a lot to drink. Think your telekinesis is strong enough to suppress his powers?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

They walked out of the alleyway and Hayley let out a sigh of relief when she saw other people knocked out on the streets due to an overload of alcohol consumption. She looked at Gambit and sighed.

"I can't wait to sleep," she yawned as they made their way back to their motel.


	6. Chapter 6

006.

Hayley woke up to a loud groan and metal rattling against metal. She cursed loudly herself, hating to be woken up in such a manner. She could hear the handcuffs rattling from the bedpost and she tried her best to ignore it. She grabbed the phone next to her. It was only 7:04 AM. She hated early mornings.

"Would you quit it?!" she snapped, throwing off the blanket in frustration.

"Where the hell am I?" he asked angrily.

Hayley groaned and stood up, stretching out her back. She had slept on the floor and gave the bed to Gambit. She had felt too bad for tricking him and thought it was the least she could do for the poor guy. But now she was second-guessing her decision.

"You're here in a motel room."

Gambit's lips formed a smile as he looked up at the handcuffs. "The kinky type, cheri?"

Hayley couldn't believe that even in the wee hours of the morning, he'd hit on her. "No, so you won't escape from us."

Gambit's red eyes grew cold. "Where the fuck are you two taking me?"

She sighed. She had reacted the same way when Scott Summers and the professor had shown up in the alleyway. She sat on the bed next to him, running her hands through her hair. She needed to be patient.

"Look, please trust me," she said softly. "We're not here to harm you unless you don't do exactly what we say." She chose to ignore the snort. "We're taking you to a school. A man named Professor Xavier found you here in New Orleans. He's a telepath, you see so he's able to control the minds of almost everyone."

"Yeah? And what does this Xavier want with me?"

Hayley shrugged. "I don't know. The only thing he told us was that you had potential and you reminded him of Logan." She looked over at the other bed which was empty. "And I have no idea where he is but I must say, you two are quite alike in mind."

Gambit snorted again. "Yeah well, Remy don't work with other people. He works alone." He struggled to get out of the handcuffs but failed.

"Please, Remy-,"

"Gambit."

"Please Gambit," Hayley started over. "Xavier is a very good man. This isn't a trick or a hoax. We're really here to help you." She patted his shoulder. "You don't want to be a thief the rest of your life, do you?"

"Maybe I do," he shot back. "C'mon, joli, lemme go."

"I can't."

Gambit sighed. "If I promise not to run, then will you get the handcuffs off?"

"And if I take the handcuffs off will you not lie and run away like yesterday?"

He chuckled. "And if I do run away, are you going to kiss me again and have Logan knock me out?"

It was her turn to laugh. "I don't know. How do you know if I'm even gonna kiss you back? Maybe I didn't like your kiss," she said with a sneer.

"All the ladies love my kisses."

"Do they love your kisses because it's good or because you're using your hypnotic ability on them?"

"The ladies love Remy for a reason, cheri."

"Now see? I don't like players."

"Nah, I ain't a player. It ain't my fault that the ladies come flocking to me."

"I also don't like arrogance. But then again, I suppose arrogance comes with the hypnotic charm that you posess," she said.

Gambit grinned. "What else you know about me, belle?"

Hayley drew her legs up on the bed. "Well, that you're here in New Orleans, have kinetic abilities with hypnotic abilities as well."

He smiled. "Well you did your homework. What sorta powers you got? Just the telekinetic power?"

She held out her hand and snapped her fingers. Instantly a small fireball ignited and she played with it between her fingers. She watched Gambit in amusement who had a look of fascination and shock. She turned her hand into a fist, making the flame disappear.

"Well damn, Hayley. Just when I didn't think you could get any better you do."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Flattery ain't gonna get you out of those cuffs."

"I didn't say it to get out. I just said it cause it's true."

She just stared at him. He merely stared back.

There was something about Gambit that intrigued Hayley. She had never met a man so wild and arrogant, charming and seductive, attentive and caring in her life. His red eyes didn't glow brightly when he said those words.

Maybe he wasn't using his charm this time to lure her in.

Hayley got up from the bed and peeked through the curtains. She shivered slightly, not realizing till then that she was only in a tanktop and sweats.

"Cold? Remy can change that for ya," he said with a laugh.

Hayley turned around, rolling her eyes at him again. "I'll tell you what," she said. "I'll let you out of these handcuffs and you have to promise, please promise to behave yourself, okay? To give us a chance." She towered over him. "Can you do that? Please?"

Gambit nodded. "No problem, beautiful."

Hayley decided to take his word. If not, she could always toss him around the hotel room.

She leaned over to uncuff the handcuffs, using a key to unlock it. She stood up from the bed and smiled as Gambit sighed in relief, rubbing his wrists. "Those really do hurt," he commented, sitting up straight. He looked at Hayley and smiled. "Thanks, doll."

"You're welcome."

Gambit patted the area next to him and she hesitated. She chose to sit on the window sill however. "I ain't gon bite."

"I'm sure you won't," she said.

He smiled. "C'mon, sit right here, cheri. Scared that you might like sitting next to me? Hell, you danced with me last night."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "In case you had a severe head trauma, you forget that I was trying to bring you back here."

"Ah so I ain't the only one with a hypnotic charm."

The motel room door swung open and Logan came in, an annoyed expression on his face. He had a bag full of food and tossed it on the floor. Hayley giggled. He probably had heard the conversation.

"Get cleaned up, get dressed, we're outta here in 15."

Gambit scowled. "Y'all really think that I'm going with you guys?"

"What happened to the trust thing?" Hayley asked.

"Remy don't trust no one."

Despite how charming he may be, Gambit was starting to get on her last nerve with his promises and his good word. Hayley hated people who went back on their word. She forced him up against the wall and held up her hand. A large fireball hovered above her palm and she held her hand close to Gambit's face. Even for a suave, smooth-talking man, fire was enough to get them scared.

"Look, I've had a long night fighting for you," she hissed. "And I absolutely hate it when people don't keep their promises." She glared up at him. "We'll get you back to Xavier's one way or another. Absolutely spotless or burnt to a crisp. Your choice."

Gambit chuckled and held his hands up in defense. He knew he was outnumbered. She was a Level Five mutant and Logan was indestructible. He couldn't win. "Alright, alright cherie. Easy." He threw up his hands. "I'll go with y'all."

Hayley made the fireball disappear, satisfied with his answer. She could tell in his eyes that he would really do as he was told. For the most part.

When she had a weapon in hand.

The three of them got ready in the bathroom one by one. Logan pushed Gambit out the door first, his hand on his shoulder as an escort. Hayley followed by his side, suppressing his powers.

"Nice ride," Gambit commented.

"Get in the back."

Hayley sat in the front passenger seat and Logan sat in the driver's seat. He started the engine and soon they were on their way towards the highway. It was only a matter of seconds when Gambit started to snore softly.

Logan smirked. "Sleepin' already."

Hayley turned around and chuckled. "Well, poor baby's probably pooped out from fighting."

And after she said those words, she ended up falling asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kid. Hey kid. Get up."

Hayley groaned. She glared at Logan and looked out the window, seeing that they had stopped on the side of the road. She yawned and stretched out her arms. "What are we doing?"

"Switching." Logan got out of the car and walked over to her side but opened the passenger seat. He shoved Gambit hard which jolted him awake. He woke up with a start. Hayley didn't know how he did it but he managed to chuckle. "Mornin."

"Get up and get in the passenger seat."

"Easy easy there," Gambit said, getting out of the car. He walked over to where Hayley is and chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "What, you want me to sit on her?"

"No, Hayley's gonna be driving and you're going to be up on the front seat," Longa said sternly. "And don't try to pull off any funny business, Cajun or I will fucking kick your ass."

Gambit laughed. "Don't worry about it, boss." He held the door open for Hayley with a wink.

She rolled her eyes and got out of the car. She got into the driver's seat and buckled her seatbelt. The car rode back onto the highway. Hayley looked through her rear view mirror to find Logan fast asleep.

"So do you sing?" Gambit asked, flipping through the stations.

"Not well," she replied.

"Ah, I'm sure a pretty face like yours has a nice singing voice to go along with it," Gambit said. "C'mon, sing a little something."

"I said no."

Gambit stopped pushing her but the smile didn't leave his face. "So, how long have you been at this.. school place?"

"Years."

"Why?"

Hayley looked at him. "What do you mean why? It's a good place. A safe place for us."

"Who do we have to hide from, belle?" he asked. "Look at us! We're mutants, stronger than those humans. Why do we have to run?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Some of us don't have anywhere us to go, Gambit. Some of us have been left out when we're only kids. Some of our powers aren't exactly strong like yours."

"You one of those kids?"

She tightened the grip on the steering wheel. "That's personal," she said stiffly.

"Well, we have a long drive."

Hayley chose to ignore him. She didn't want to get into that with someone that she knew that she couldn't trust. Last night and this morning's events proved him to be untrustworthy.

"Fine, fine." Gambit sighed and fidgeted in his seat. "How much longer will we be in this damn car?"

"A lot longer if you don't keep your mouth shut," she snapped.

He laughed. "You sure are something. One minute, you showing love to Remy and the next, you're ready to rip my eyes out." He chuckled softly. "Looks like you really got my charming power suppressed."

"Yeah and you're still difficult to deal with," she muttered. As handsome as Gambit was, he sure thought a lot of himself. Maybe to compensate for other things and that she let out a giggle.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh nothing," she said quickly.

"So mon cherie, got a man at this school?"

Her knuckles turned white. She held back her tears and waited a few seconds before answering his question. How would she answer it? It wasn't as if they had broken things off but he wasn't there anymore.

"It's complicated," she finally said.

Gambit raised an eyebrow. "What you mean?"

"I said it's complicated and we're just gonna leave it at that."

Gambit stayed quiet for a minute but spoke again. "Well, joli, I'll tell you something. If a guy makes things complicated with a beautiful girl like you, then you don't deserve him. You deserve better."

Professor was right. This guy was exactly like Logan in almost every single way. She couldn't help but be touched with his words and the fact that he wasn't pushing her on this.

"He left."

The words slipped out of her. For some reason, she let it out.

"Left? Broke up with you?"

She shook her head. "No no, he just.. left the school. Left without giving an explanation. He just told me he was leaving." She smiled wistfully. "He's always been the kind of guy to go off on his own. A traveler, just trying to find answers to his life. He's done it once but came back. I thought he would, this time around." Her voice trailed off.

"How long has it been, cheri?"

"Couple months." Two long months.

"You love this guy?"

She paused. "I do. I did." She sighed. "I don't know."

"I don't see why you're moping over this guy. Seems like he don't care much about you if he's left you twice."

She wanted to glare at him but hearing that for the second time from another person made her feel pathetic.

"Sounds to me Hayley, you need to move on with your life. And if this guy comes back, well, Remy can take care of him for breaking your heart," Gambit said with a wink.

Hayley had to laugh. Gambit was a nice guy when he wanted to be. "Thanks." She looked at the GPS. "We'll be home soon," she said. "We'll be home soon."

* * *

So I didn't expect to get an email, telling me that people have added this story to story alerts for themselves.

I got about 7 emails the past three days.

Thanks guys. I appreciate it.


	7. Chapter 7

007.

Gambit let out a low whistle when they pulled up into the garage. He took notice of all the luxurious cars and motorcycles, walking over to them. "Maybe this place ain't gon be so bad."

Logan was not amused when he laid a hand on his precious motorcycle. "Alright, let's go," he ordered, pushing Gambit into the elevator.

They went to the first floor where the kids were walking to their classes. Naturally all of them stopped to stare at Gambit. They were all curious as to who this Cajun man was, why he was here and of course, what kind of powers that he had. Gambit merely chuckled and gave a salute to a couple of them.

"Cute little rascals you got here," he commented.

Logan knocked on the door to the Professor to find Rogue and Kitty in the office. Hayley raised an eyebrow and Rogue merely gave her a pained look. She smiled to herself, realizing something must've gone down between her and Kitty and she was sad to have missed it.

Rogue greeted Logan with a nod and looked at Gambit who tipped his hat towards her. She seemed a bit speechless but managed to snap back to reality. When Gambit was looking around the office, Rogue looked over at Hayley and mouthed the word "HOT!" Hayley rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Ah, welcome back, Logan and Hayley. I trust everything went smoothly," Xavier said.

Logan glared at Gambit who shrugged. "Peachy."

"Rogue and Kitty, we'll continue our discussion later. You can go."

Rogue walked over to Hayley. "Details. Later." She gave her hand a small squeeze before leaving.

Kitty, however, lingered a bit, staring at Gambit who didn't really pay too much attention to her. Her lips curved upwards and Hayley didn't like that look on her face. She made a mental note to herself to let Gambit know about the people here, including Kitty Pryde.

When Kitty walked through the door, Professor told them to have a seat. Logan chose to stand. Hayley knew he thought Gambit would try to escape and he wanted to take precautions. Hayley sat down next to Gambit, relieved to be home.

"Welcome, Remy LeBeau-," Professor started to say.

"Gambit."

"My apologies. Welcome, Gambit to our school for mutants just like you. Here, we provide mutants of all ages a place to stay, food to eat and training to help you strengthen your powers."

Hayley looked at Gambit who seemed interested in the last bit of his sentence. "What I wanna know," Gambit said, "is why me?"

Professor smiled warmly. "Gambit, I see a lot of potential in you. More than you ever know," he replied. "I believe that you being here will benefit you. And I hope that you choose to stay."

Gambit leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "Well, I can think of a few reasons to stay," he said, glancing over at Hayley who blushed and looked down at her hands.

Professor ignored his flirtation and clasped his hands together. "Good. We have a room for you already. Logan, show Gambit to his room. It's on the third floor to the left. Hayley will let you know about the school and its rules."

Gambit nodded, giving him a cheeky salute. He stood up from his seat and grinned at Logan. "Alright, boss. Show me to my room," he said with a grin.

Logan didn't look amused but escorted him to the room. Hayley stood up to leave when Professor told her to stay seated. She remained seated and when the door closed, Professor spoke.

"What happened to your powers, Hayley?" he asked softly.

Hayley sighed. He was always a step ahead, thanks to his power. "I overloaded," she said. "We were in a room with these beefy guys with guns. I destroyed their weapons but I guess that was too much for me."

He looked sympathetic but there was a bit of pride in his eyes. "It seems as though your telekinesis is slowly but surely coming back, Hayley. Maybe a few more weeks in the Danger Room and you'll be back to yourself."

She grinned. "Thanks Professor."

She was dismissed and headed up to her room. As soon as she entered, Rogue pounced on her. "WOW, WHO IS THAT GUY?" she giggled.

"Are you aware that you still have a boyfriend?" she asked.

Rogue laughed. "Hey, a girl can still look," she said with a wink. "So spill it. Who is he? He's the guy that Professor wanted?"

Hayley nodded. She told the tale of their arrival to New Orleans, the dancing though she left out most details, their poker game and the fight that had broken out. Rogue laughed when she was told about Hayley's flirtation with him, just to get him knocked out by Logan and how arrogant yet how caring Gambit was.

"Oooh, girl! He seems pretty nice," Rogue said dreamily. She winked at Hayley. "I saw the way he was looking at ya. Do I suspect a little something going on between you two?"

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Okay you stop your thoughts right there. First of all, he's probably not exactly genuine with his words because one of his powers is a hypnotic charm. It's strong as hell."

"Any other reason?" she asked.

She looked away.

"Oh Hayley." Rogue's voice dropped to a soft tone. "You have to stop-,"

"Don't."

Rogue sighed. "John ain't coming back. I really don't think he is."

Hayley didn't say anything.

Rogue cleared her throat. "We should head down to dinner." She patted her shoulder. "And you'll need to keep your eye on that Kitty. I bet she'll try to make a play for him."

Hayley chuckled. "Why were you two in the office?"

"Kitty tried to make a move on Bobby again," Rogue said bitterly. "So I took off my gloves."

Hayley looked shocked. "No! And?"

"Well, Storm found us brawling and had us stop. Kinda childish that we were sent to his office but whatever." Rogue sighed as they headed out of the room and down the stairs. "I worry though."

"About?"

"About whether Bobby would go after her."

"Why on Earth would you think of something morbid like that?" Hayley asked.

"Because," she sighed. "Because Bobby can touch her, hold her, kiss her. He can't do any of that with me."

Hayley knew that Rogue was bitter with her powers since they first manifested. She was unable to touch anyone or else she would steal their energy or if they were mutants, their energy and powers. Hayley often felt sorry for her; she knew that she desperately wanted to be able to touch Bobby, to give him a kiss and be in a normal relationship with him.

"Don't even worry about that. Kitty's nothing but a whore. Bobby wouldn't do that to you. You know that."

They walked into the kitchen and helped set the plates for the kids. Once the kids were settled, Hayley and Rogue grabbed their own plates and headed off to their table. Hayley looked around the place to see if Gambit was here but he was nowhere to be seen. She frowned and sat down with her dinner and ate.

Piotr and Bobby walked over to join them at their table. Rogue seemed stiff when Bobby came to sit next to her and there was a bit of an awkward tension between them but Piotr and Hayley both did their best to break the tension.

"Hey, there's Gambit," Rogue said, nudging Hayley.

She looked up to see Logan pushing Gambit towards the counter to grab a plate. She had to chuckle. Gambit must've smartmouthed Logan coming down here because Logan looked like he was going to snap. Gambit grabbed a plate, winking at all the girls who were staring at him. His red eyes glowed brightly.

She saw someone come up to Gambit, her long brown hair flowing down her back. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Kitty Pryde approaching him, a smile playing at her lips. It frustrated her when Gambit smiled in return and followed her to her table.

She shook her head. She shouldn't be annoyed. She had no claim over Gambit nor did she want to.

After dinner, Hayley went out to the backyard, towards the bench that she and John once shared. They would always come out to the bench after dinner and as pathetic as it seemed, it made her feel like everything was going to be okay. She knew that Logan wouldn't like her coming out here but she felt like she had to.

It was a bit chilly but she didn't feel like going all the way upstairs to grab a jacket. She crossed her arms and sat down on the bench. She sighed as she pulled out the lighter. She flicked the top back and forth, just like how John would do to annoy people. It had annoyed her at first but now, not hearing the clink-clink sound made her feel antsy.

She wondered where he was now, what he was doing. She wondered if he thought of her, if he would ever at least call her to let her know that he was okay. She wondered if he had met anyone, met any girls. The thought of him with another girl infuriated her, especially since things between them hadn't been settled.

"Ain't you cold, beautiful?"

Hayley turned around to find Gambit approaching her. He had an amused look on his face. "Kinda chilly out here, duncha think?" he said.

"I'm fine."

Gambit chuckled. "May I sit?" Before she could even answer, he plopped down next to her and took notice of the Zippo in her hands. "Smoking's bad for ya."

"I don't smoke."

"So why you carrying that around for, belle?"

"Just like it."

"Ah, your little boyfriend's accessory." He snorted. "I wouldn't really need to carry anything around if I had you by my side."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "If this is your attempt at making me flirt with you, you're doing a bad job at it."

"Am I?" he asked in mock shock. He leaned in closer to her. "Well," he said, his voice suddenly low. "Maybe I should just come up behind you and ask you for a dance instead. That seemed to work."

She couldn't help but smile. "Whatever, Gambit."

He laughed. "Remy's right again." He patted her shoulder, leaving his hand there. "You should really get back inside, belle. It's getting cold out here and a pretty girl like you shouldn't be out here being sad and by herself."

"I can take care of myself," she said stiffly.

"Don't look like you're doing a very good job at it."

It wasn't his fault but Hayley felt herself snap at the comment about her. Just hearing it from Logan and Rogue was bad enough- she didn't have to hear it from someone who barely knew her. She couldn't take it in at the moment. She towered over him, her eyes seeing red. "Damnit, Gambit! Just leave me alone- why do you care so much?! You don't know me at all so enough with your stupid one-liners about my relationship!"

Gambit didn't seem affected by her sudden rage. There was a look of concern and care on his face. It caught her off guard. He merely stood up and bent over to pick up the lighter that had fallen out of her hands when she had gotten off the bench. He held it out to her.

"Belle, you should get inside. Hear it's gon rain." With that said, he walked back into the house.

Hayley let out a frustrated groan and sat back down on the bench. Tears stung her eyes and she did her best to hold them back. She gulped, trying to control the shakiness of her hands. Her whole body was trembling from anger and frustration.

She missed John so much. Only he would've been able to control her temper.

She just wished that he'd come back home. Come back to her.

Something hit her on the top of her head. Hayley held out her hand and felt drops hitting the palm of her hand. She scowled.

It was raining.

She hastily got up from her seat and ran back to the house.


	8. Chapter 8

008.

"So rumor has it that you completely blew up in Gambit's face last night," Rogue said as the two girls headed back upstairs to their room after breakfast.

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "Who said that?"

"Kitty," Rogue said plainly.

She muttered curses under her breath. The guy hadn't been here for more than 24 hours and already Kitty Pryde was making her advances onto him. She would be the one to spy on him, especially since he had been out with Hayley. "Well for once, it's true."

"Why'd you yell at the poor guy?"

"Cause he was talking about things that he doesn't know anything about," Hayley said stiffly.

Rogue could tell what she was talking about and sighed. "Well, I guess you did have the right to do so." She opened the door to their room. "Who's class are you TA-ing for?"

"Logan's PE class," Hayley said with a grin.

"Lucky you. I've got Storm's science class," Rogue groaned. "I don't get why Professor keeps giving me her class. I hate science! I don't get it! And then I feel bad when the kids ask me questions and I have no idea what the answers are."

"Well it helps when you go over the material, Roguey," Hayley teased.

The Southern girl rolled her eyes. "God, I can't wait for this day to be over."

The two girls went their separate ways. Hayley headed down to the backyard where Logan and the students were already. The students greeted her warmly and she returned the greeting. "What are we playing today, pup?" she asked Logan.

He glared at her. "Soccer."

Logan split up the students into two teams. Hayley was the goalie for one team while Logan was the goalie for the other. The kids growled and catcalled one another, proclaiming their team to be number one. It was always amusing to watch the kids get fired up for these games.

Out from the corner of her eye, she saw Professor in his wheelchair and by his side was Gambit, twirling a stick in his hands. They seemed to be in deep conversation as they made their way around the backyard. She drew her attention away from the two figures and turned back to the game. The kids were her focus right now.

The game started and the kids ran up and down the field. Logan had stated that they were not allowed to use their powers but some of them couldn't help but cheat. After kicking the ball far down the field, Phil teleported himself to where the ball would land and tried to score a goal on Logan. Hayley giggled but after one death glare from Logan, she told the kids that their powers would not be allowed and she blocked their powers. The kids groaned.

"Good job kids. See you tomorrow," Logan said, patting them on the heads. He picked up the ball and tossed it to Hayley. "Kids getting too much to handle? Some of those were some easy blocks."

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? You did not just call me out about being a goalie." She dropped the ball to the ground and gave Logan a challenging stare.

He grinned.

Almost immediately, Hayley ran down the field, kicking the ball towards Logan's end of the field. She laughed, pushing him away whenever he approached her and did a few tricks to keep the ball out of Logan's feet. She drew her leg back and kicked the ball hard, sending the ball flying into the goal.

"GOOOOAL!" Hayley shouted. She laughed. "C'mon, am I getting too much for you to handle?"

Logan growled.

"You two always do this after every single class." Professor Xavier wheeled before them with an amused look on his face. "Doesn't it ever tire you?"

"Nope," Hayley said. She looked at Gambit who had chuckled softly. She gave him a nod and he gave her one back. She looked at Xavier. "Is there anything you need, Professor?"

"Actually there is," Professor said. "I was hoping that later, after classes are done, that you two would show Gambit the Danger Room and maybe get in some practice for him there."

Logan snorted. "Is he even ready for the Danger Room?"

Gambit raised an eyebrow. "Well, boss, we can go find out."

Professor and Hayley exchanged amused looks. "We'll do it," she spoke up, standing before the two macho men. "It's fine."

"Thank you Hayley. Come Gambit."

Logan looked down at Hayley once they left. "You are disgusting."

"What?"

"Agreeing to help him train?"

"Well you knew Professor would ask you anyway," Hayley retorted. She grinned. "Afraid he might show you up?"

"No one is going to show me up," Logan growled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan had told Hayley to get Gambit from his room and to meet him down at the Danger Room. She reluctantly went to his room. She didn't really want to face him after her blowing up at him. He had taken it all with ease, surprisingly. She had expected some smartass one-liner from him.

Hayley knocked on his door.

His door opened and Gambit stood wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. His hair was wet and drops of water landed on his chest. He had a smile on his face. "Cherie! To what do I owe this special visit?" He winked. "Somebody missin Remy?"

Hayley kept her eyes on his face and nowhere else. "Danger Room session."

"Is that your codename for-,"

"Don't even try that with me."

Gambit smirked. "Aight, cherie. Lemme just change. Unless you wanna come-,"

"DON'T."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Okay okay."

"I'll wait out here."

The door closed again and Hayley let out a breath of relief. She touched her face, finding it to be hot. She hoped that she wasn't red, she hoped that in his eyes, she looked calm and not red and flustered. She leaned against the wall.

Gambit came out, fully dressed and the same stick in his hands. Hayley was rather curious about it but didn't ask. She was still angry with him about the incident minutes earlier. He had a rather amused smirk on his face. "I'm all yours," he said.

"Great," she muttered.

They walked towards the elevator as he whistled a small tune to himself. Hayley pressed the button for the elevator and waited impatiently. She hoped that he wouldn't say anything about earlier but she highly doubted her chances.

"So how does your boyfriend compare?"

"Excuse me?" she asked.

Gambit gave his stomach a pat. "You know what I mean." He smirked. "Guess I win this round."

"Do you really want an ass-kicking?"

"Sounds like someone likes things rough." Gambit stepped up closer to her, forcing her to back up against the wall. "Remy likes things a bit wild himself."

He found himself falling to the ground hard on his ass after taking a hit to the gut and he groaned. "Damn, girl." He got up and received a harsh slap to the face.

"Just shut up," she snapped.

The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside. She could hear Gambit chuckling to himself and then whistling once again. At least he wasn't talking anymore.

The elevator doors opened again and they walked down the hallway and into the Danger Room where Logan was already setting things up. He looked amused and curious at the pissed off look on Hayley's face. "Cajun pissin you off?" he asked.

"Nothing I can't handle," she snapped.

Logan chuckled. He turned to Gambit. "Alright, Cajun. This is the Danger Room. We do all our training here."

Gambit looked around at the rather small empty room and chuckled. "In here?"

"Yep." Logan pressed a button for the Danger Room to begin its session.

Hayley was pleased to see a look of fear pass Gambit's face as the room transformed into a jungle setting. The tall trees looked like they reached the sky as they towered over them. It was slightly humid. Hayley could feel the drops of rain splatter on her face. She looked up and saw that it was unusually dark. The clouds were especially darker, black as coal and she could hear a rumble coming from within the clouds. A storm was coming.

The moon was up but not emitting enough light to be aware of their surroundings.

It was quiet, too quiet.

She giggled when she heard Gambit cursing.

"Shit! Where are we?" he asked.

"Danger Room session. We'll be taking down Sentinels," Logan explained gruffly.

"What the fuck are Sentinels?"

"Robots."

"What the fuck.."

"Just keep quiet," Logan ordered. He nodded at Hayley. "Give us some light."

Hayley opened a palm and a small fireball appeared, giving a little bit of light. She led the way on the trail with the other two men following behind.

"So what are we supposed to be doing?" Gambit asked.

"You can take over now, Hayley," Logan groaned.

Hayley scowled. "Professor wants to see what level your powers are," she hissed. "We all know what you can do against humans. Let's see what you can do against mutants and Sentinels."

"Baby, Remy can take on anything."

Hayley and Logan merely looked at each other with smiles. She looked at Gambit.

"Alright. Let's see." She shot her hand up in the air and let out a fireball into the air.

Out from the tall jungle trees, were two red glowing lights. There were loud screechings of metal clashing against each other. From out of the darkness were orbs of lights and they were all pointing down at the three. The four giant robots towered over them and Hayley could hear one of them charging up.

"Hayley and I will take out one each- let's see how you do with taking out two of them, Cajun," Logan commanded with a grin.

Gambit grinned back. "Don't worry about me, boss."

"Here we go!" she cried and jumped out of the way when the Sentinel launched a missile towards them.

She hit the ground hard and turned around immediately to make sure Gambit was fine. He had leaped out of the way in time and was already in a fighting stance. There was a look of confidence and confusion on his face and he looked up at the robots as if he had nothing to fear.

A Sentinel had spotted Hayley on the ground and lifted its foot to crush her. She rolled out of the way and raised her hand at a huge tree. The tree, ripping its roots apart, flew towards the Sentinel's head. The Sentinel stumbled in its steps but didn't fall over. She focused her power on another, much bigger tree. The tree flew at the Sentinel and this time, caused the Sentinel to fall on the ground with a thud.

Hayley ran towards a tree and hid behind it. She wanted to see Gambit in action so she could report back to Professor.

Logan took out the Sentinel with ease. He was agile and quick, able to climb up the metal plates of the Sentinel and thanks to the adamantium, claw its head off. A Danger Room session to Logan was like breathing.

Gambit was having a longer time taking out one Sentinel but he was looking quite impressive. He was quick, much quicker than Logan. It hit her that he not only could use his kinetic ability on inanimate objects but within himself as well. He was moving rather quickly around, making the Sentinel dance in circles.

She saw him pull a card out from his pocket and throw it hard towards the Sentinel's head. The card exploded once it made contact with the metal. The debri scattered all over the place.

Hayley saw him looking her way with a grin on his face and she found herself smiling back at him. As mad as she was at him, he had been rather impressive.

But then his smile turned upside down and his eyes widened. "Hayley!" he yelled out.

Hayley turned around to find the last Sentinel hiding right behind her. She had been so stupid for not paying attention to her surroundings! The Sentinel must've scouted her and hid right behind her till the very end. She leaped out of the way when its metal foot came crashing down. She tripped over something and fell hard onto the ground.

"Shit!" she cursed and got up to her feet. But the Sentinel knocked down a couple of trees and she did her best to dodge the falling tree trunks. One of the branches hit her in the back and she fell down again. The blow had knocked the wind out of her and she groaned loudly, rolling onto her back.

"Hayley!" she heard Logan call out.

The Sentinel held out its arm and she heard it charging up. _Get up, get up!_ But she couldn't. She had no energy left in her.

The missile hurled towards her but something else collided with the missile, causing it to blow up before it hit her or the ground. She shielded her face as the missile pieces scattered around her.

The Sentinel diverted its attention to Gambit who had thrown another set of cards at the missile. Hayley watched him climb up on the robot, using his stick for leverage. Even from way on top of the robot's shoulder, she could see the red glow from his eyes, his hand and the stick. He hurled the stick straight through the Sentinel's head. He pulled the stick out and jumped down with ease as the Sentinel toppled over.

"Session complete."

The dark jungle slowly disappeared and they were back in the silver blue room. Hayley was still laying down in pain and she did her best to sit up. Logan rushed to her side. "You alright, kid?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," she mumbled. Pain shot up through her back.

Logan moved behind her and lifted up her shirt slightly. "You're bleeding, kid. We're gonna take you to the infirmary."

"I don't need to go to the damn infirmary," she hissed.

"Well, kid, I'm not gonna let you bleed to death."

With the help of Logan, Hayley slowly got up and limped out of the Danger Room. Gambit trailed behind them as they walked into the infirmary where Dr. Hank McCoy was. Hayley managed to laugh when Gambit was taken aback by Hank's appearance but she couldn't blame him. No one would ever expect to see a big blue hairy creature playing the role of a doctor.

"Hayley! What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into now?" Hank chuckled, shaking his head.

"Well someone's gotta do something to keep yourself busy. Must be boring to be down here all the time," she joked.

Hank took notice of Gambit and extended his hand. "Dr. Hank McCoy. And you are?"

"Remy LeBeau's the name," he replied with a cool voice.

"We had a Danger Room session," Logan explained. "Sentinels."

"Ah I see," Hank mused.

Logan helped her on the bed, flat on her stomach. She winced when her shirt started to get stuck onto her skin, thanks to the dried blood. "That was my favorite shirt," she pouted.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you're going to need stitches, my dear," Hank said.

"Wait, no. Please don't-," Hayley hated needles. "Can't you just wrap bandages? Please?"

"I'm sorry but these wounds are quite deep. It'll be fine."

"No, please don't," she pleaded, starting to freak out. She hated needles and the idea of a needle going in and out of her body with a string attached did not appeal to her one bit. Her chest tightened and she was starting to sweat.

"Hayley, calm down. It'll be okay," Logan coaxed her. He knelt down before the bed and placed a hand through her hair. "It'll be fine. Stitches aren't anything bad."

"And how would you know?! You heal!" Hayley shrieked. She struggled to get off the bed but Hank wouldn't allow her to move. She looked at Logan with desperation in her eyes."C'mon, please don't give me stitches. I promise I'll never call you pup again."

"Tempting but I can't."

Tears slid down her face as she tried to plead with Hank and Logan. There had to be some other way to fix her back.

"Logan, she needs to calm down. Go hand me that shot."

"A SHOT?!" Hayley shrieked again.

Logan got up and went over to the drawers to retrieve the shot. Hank held her down, trying to console her and let her know that it would be okay. She refused to listen to them.

"Hey belle."

Hayley looked up and saw Gambit standing before. He pulled up a chair beside her bed and smiled. The smile was not of arrogance and flirtation. It was a simple, genuine smile of care. He patted her hand. "It's gon be alright, joli," he soothed.

"I hate needles," she blurted out.

Gambit made a face. "Oui, needles ain't really Remy's thing either. But like the doc said, there ain't any other way to help you. Getting stitches is the only way, belle."

Hayley whimpered. She hated feeling so vulnerable and weak. John and needles were the only two to make her feel this low.

"It's alright, beautiful. No need to cry," Gambit said softly. "I'm here. It'll be okay. You'll be as good as new once Doc gets you fixed up."

Hayley started to feel relaxed. She saw his red eyes glowing and she knew that he was using his charm on her. She wanted to fight it but maybe this time around, it'd be best to let him use it on her. She really needed to calm down her.

"Will you hold my hand?" she whispered. Good God, she sounded pathetic.

He smiled. "Course, belle."

She gripped his hand and shut her eyes. During the entire procedure, Gambit had sang her songs to calm her down. She didn't know any of the songs but there was something so soothing about the songs, the melodies. He had a rather nice voice. It brought her heart rate down to normal. With his other hand, he gently ran it through her hair, pushing back to the loose hair out of her face and behind her ear.

"Done," Hank finally said.

It had seemed like forever but it had only been about 15 minutes. Gambit stood up and helped Hayley sit up right. She winced. Every movement seemed to bring her pain.

"You'll be in pain for a few days, I'm afraid," Hank explained. "You'll need to come back in a week or so to remove the stitches."

Hayley shuddered at the thought of the strings coming out of her. She thanked Hank and Logan for putting up with her stubbornness. She leaned onto Logan for support as they made their way slowly towards the elevator.

The elevator doors opened to the second floor. Logan and Hayley walked out but Hayley stopped. "Wait." She turned around slowly to face Gambit. "Thanks," she said, giving him a grateful smile.

Gambit nodded. "Don't worry about it. Just take care of yourself, belle."

Hayley nodded with a smile. The elevator doors shut and they made their way to Hayley's room. "You really are disgusting you know that?" Logan commented.

"What?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

He helped her lay down on her bed. She laid carefully on her stomach, wincing every second when the pain shot up and down her back whichever way she moved. She sighed in disgust. She hated being put on lockdown because of some stupid injury that could've been avoided had she been paying attention.

"I'll get Rogue to bring you your dinner," Logan said. "You need to just stay put in your bed."

"Great," she muttered.

"It'll be alright kid." He patted her head and walked out of the room.

Hayley sighed and looked at the clock. It read 4:01 PM. Dinner wouldn't be served until 6.

"Fuck my life."

* * *

Still getting so many emails about how people are adding this story to their alerts. Thanks everyone, definitely didn't expect this to happen. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate them.  
FYI again, my story doesn't exactly follow the X-Men movies. Just keep that in mind.

* * *

009.

Despite Hayley only being able to move around her room, it wasn't too bad. First off, she was free to catch up on her books that she hadn't picked up due to teaching certain classes at the school and Danger Room sessions. Rogue always brought up her meals which was always nice. She got to catch up on sleep as well, seeing that she hadn't slept well for two months since John had left.

Rogue and Jubilee came into her room every night to update her on the latest happenings within the school. Despite them being in their early 20's, some things never changed.

Rogue often informed her of the advances that Kitty tried to make on Gambit. Some days he'd pay attention to her but other days he didn't. It made Kitty frustrated that he was hot and cold with her but it made Hayley laugh. Serves her right.

"Think Gambit will finally give in to her?" she asked.

Hayley shrugged, sitting up straight. Her back wasn't in too much pain anymore. "Honestly? I don't think so. He seems like the loner type, kinda player-ish. He'd probably use her for a booty call."

Rogue laughed hysterically. "Probably. He doesn't seem like the boyfriend type." She pretend to pout at Hayley. "Does that make you sad?"

"Why on Earth would it make me sad?"

"That you and Gambit would most likely never be."

Hayley threw her pillow at her as the girl laughed even louder. "You're really gross."

"Logan told me about your little intimate moment from last week when you were getting your stitches!" Rogue said, leaping up to her feet and pointing at her. "You didn't tell me anything so spill!"

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Look, I was just freaking out about getting stitches- you know how much I hate needles! Anyway, he just helped me calm down."

Rogue giggled. "I think you two would be cute together."

"Gross, Rogue. All we'd do is fight."

She smiled. "I've been talking to him, Hayley. He's a good guy."

"Yeah well, if he was any better he'd stop hitting on me."

"Oh c'mon, you know you like it."

"As much I love tomatoes."

Rogue smiled. "Well he was asking about you today. Asking if you were alright and stuff." She winked. "I think he misses having ya around. Misses having someone to bother and hit on."

"Well he can hit on Kitty."

"Kitty's too easy. If he gave her even a minute of his time, she'd phase out of her fucking clothes," Rogue giggled. "You're harder. You play hard to get with him."

"I don't!"

"Unintentionally. But you really do, Hayley. What, with all the arguing, the tossing him around with your telekinesis. Makes the guy want you even more. You're more of a challenge."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "I refuse to be compared to some advanced level of Sudoku."

"Oh you know what I mean." Rogue plopped onto her bed. "I think he likes ya."

"You say that about everyone."

"Not everyone," Rogue shot back. "Just two. John and Gambit. I was right about John, wasn't I?"

It hurt to hear his name nowadays. Hayley sighed. "You were. In the beginning."

Rogue had a sad look on her face. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring him up."

She shook her head. "It's okay. I'm fine." She stood up slowly from her bed. "I think I'm gonna go walk around a bit."

"You sure? Want me to come along?" Rogue asked.

Hayley shrugged. "If you want."

Leaning onto Rogue, Hayley walked out of the room. Most of the students were in their rooms, getting ready for bed. They talked quietlly to one another as they made their way downstairs. Hayley requested to go outside because she needed some fresh air after being holed up in her room for so long.

The air was unusually cold. Hayley and Rogue laughed as they walked through the backyard.

Suddenly Rogue stopped in her tracks. Hayley nearly tripped, caught by surprise by Rogue's abrupt stop. "What the hell, Rogue?"

But Hayley followed Rogue's gaze and her eyes widened in rage.

The cement fountain in the center of the backyard would usually be flowing with water. But on this night, the water had frozen solid. It was an ice fountain for that one evening and skating around the ice fountain were Kitty Pryde and Bobby Drake. They were laughing, skating and holding each other's hands. Kitty skated faster than Bobby but Bobby's grip on her hand pulled her back. Back into his arms.

That was enough to get Rogue's blood to boil.

"I am going to kill that bitch," Rogue hissed. She let Hayley go and ran after them.

"Aw crap," Hayley said, cursing her inability to run fast enough to stop Rogue from killing Kitty Pryde, literally.

"You filthy stupid whore!" Rogue yelled.

Her outburst interrupted Bobby and Kitty from their intimate moment and Bobby's eyes widened with fear and guilt. He jumped down from the fountain. The jump shattered his handmade skates as he walked over to Rogue to stop her. "Rogue, let me explain-,"

"How the hell are you going to explain this, Bobby?" Rogue spat. "You and her! How long has this been going on?!"

Bobby hesitated.

Hayley walked as fast as she could before things got out of hand. Bobby tried to stop Rogue from scrambling after Kitty who was still standing on top of the ice. But the thing that made this whole situation even more wrong was the fact that the phasing bitch was smiling. She had a mischevious smartass smirk on her face as if she was proud to cause the pain in Rogue.

That gesture alone was enough to stop Hayley in her tracks and allow Rogue to pull away from Bobby to beat the shit out of Kitty.

"Rogue! Rogue!" Bobby cried out, running after her as Rogue took off her gloves.

Rogue lunged for Kitty but Kitty merely phased herself and Rogue went right through her, falling onto the hard ice. Kitty turned around to look at her with a grin.

"Rogue, stop it!" Bobby grabbed hold onto her, careful not to touch her bare hands but it was hard when Rogue's hands were flailing around, trying to hit anything that came in her way.

"No, don't fucking touch me!" she screamed.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Hayley turned around to see a few of the older people coming out, weary-eyed and in their pajamas. Hayley jabbed her thumb over at the quarreling couple and Kitty fighting on the fountain. "Bobby and Kitty are officially dumbasses, that's what's going on."

Logan snarled and ran towards them. He managed to grab Rogue by the waist and pull her off of Bobby and away from Kitty. Rogue was still screaming obscenities at Bobby and Kitty. Her red face was streaming with angry tears. It broke Hayley's heart to see her good friend in this condition. She didn't deserve this. Not one bit.

With all the anger she had in her, Hayley walked quickly over to Bobby and gave him a good slap across the face. "You're a fucking jerk," she spat.

She pushed past Bobby and over to Kitty who remained standing. "Get your ass down here right now Kitty Pryde so I can shove my damn foot up your ass," Hayley snarled.

Kitty smirked. "I doubt that you're going to be able to do that."

Hayley shoved her hand out and forced Kitty hard against the stone angel that was in the middle of the fountain. Kitty looked terrified and tried to budge but of course there was no way she could get out of it.

"You know Kitty, we've never liked you from the beginning and who knows? Maybe we could've been friends," Hayley said. She leaned over the fountain and pressed a finger on the cold ice. "But after the bullshit that you pulled, I don't think that's ever going to happen."

"Bite me," Kitty hissed.

Hayley merely smirked and with one finger, the ice was on fire.

Kitty's eyes widened and she started to scream in fear. But Hayley chuckled. She wasn't that sadistic. She snapped her fingers and the fire disappeared, leaving only the smell of the smoke above the water that had once been ice.

"Hey, can cats swim?" Hayley asked and she snapped her fingers once more.

"AHHH!"

Kitty fell into the water, causing the water to overflow. Hayley laughed at the soaked little girl who gasped up the surface for air. She shrieked in horror and spat out curses at Hayley. "You little bitch! You're a fucking bitch!" she screamed.

"Enough!" Logan barked out.

Hayley turned around to see that Rogue had put on her gloves and was being taken back inside by Piotr. She could still hear her weeping as she went back inside. She also saw Gambit hanging out from afar and if her eyesight was failing her, she could see a smile on his face.

"Get back inside, Hayley. Go take care of Rogue," Logan ordered softly. When Hayley opened her mouth to protest, he narrowed his eyes at her. "I mean it, kid. Get back inside right now."

Hayley sighed but turned to give Kitty one last look. "This ain't over, Kitty."

She turned around, ignoring all the screams and threats that Kitty yelled at her. She limped towards Gambit who had been standing by the doorway. He had a rather amused look on his face, as if he had enjoyed the incident.

"Was the show good enough for you?" Hayley asked with a grin.

Gambit chuckled. "It was actually. Thanks for the late night entertainment though I much prefer other ways," he said with a wink.

"Oh God," Hayley muttered, rolling her eyes. "Do you think we can have one decent conversation that doesn't involve you hitting on me?"

He winked. "You don't like it?"

"What do you think?"

Gambit laughed, patting her shoulder. "How you feeling, cherie?"

Hayley knew he was referring to her back. "It's getting better. Getting stitches pulled out tomorrow."

He smiled. "I'm glad you're feeling better." He looked past her and his eyes looked troubled. "Your friend gon be alright?"

Hayley's smile dropped and turned into a frown. "I don't know," she said softly.

He sighed and gave her shoulder a small squeeze. "I'm sorry for holding you up, cherie- you should be with your friend." He held the door open for her and motioned for her to step inside.

She smiled at his manners. "Thanks, Gambit."

"Now it'd be wrong of Remy to not escort a beautiful injured woman so." He extended his elbow out towards her, flashing her a rather seductive grin.

Hayley rolled her eyes. She had been around Gambit long enough to know when he was using his powers and right now, he was. His red eyes were glowing very brightly.

But his hypnotic charm was quite strong and even she couldn't resist it. Hayley thought for just a minute and she linked arms with him. She was tired and her back was still in a bit of pain. She could use the help.

As they walked up the stairs, he unhooked his arm from hers and put it around her waist while holding her hand. She looked up at him and noticed that his eyes were no longer glowing. She gave him a small smile as they continued their way to her room.

The kids were peeking out from behind their doors and Hayley instructed all of them to go back to bed. Some of them whined but all Hayley had to do was force their doors shut. Gambit chuckled.

"Firm hand you got there."

"You gotta do what you gotta do."

"Like what you did to that Kitty Cat."

"Exactly."

Gambit let out a low whistle. "She's a bit feisty. Much like yourself."

"PLEASE- don't even compare me to that filthy whore," Hayley said angrily.

"Easy cherie. Just sayin that you two are both real feisty."

"You'd be best to stay away from her," she warned.

Gambit grinned from ear to ear. "Why, Hayley? Jealous?"

"When pigs fly out of my ass, Gamby."

As they approached her door, they could both hear Rogue's weeping. Hayley opened the door to find Rogue crying on Piotr's shoulder. Piotr looked up to see her and smiled sadly.

Hayley sighed and turned to Gambit. "Thanks for walking me," she said softly.

Gambit shook his head. "No problem. Tell your friend that if she needs me to kick his ass, I'd be more than happy to."

She chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." She shut the door and walked over to Rogue, stroking her long brown hair. "Oh Rogue.. I'm sorry.."

Rogue ignored her and continued to cry.

Hayley sighed and forced Rogue off of Piotr so he could leave. He had done enough for tonight.

Rogue collapsed on her bed, weeping into her pillow. Hayley looked up at Piotr and gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks.. you can go if you want."

Piotr nodded. Hayley sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her friend's hair. "I'm so sorry Rogue.. I really am."

"I knew this would happen," Rogue sobbed loudly. "I knew it... I knew Bobby would get tired of being with me." She looked at her gloved hands and Hayley was stunned and a bit scared to see the hatred in her eyes. "It's my fault.. this is my fault."

"Don't say that!" Hayley hissed. "This is not your fault. You did nothing wrong!"

But Rogue just cried into her pillow. And like a good friend, Hayley sat next to her and continued to stroke her hair soothingly until Rogue cried herself to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Hayley woke up the next morning, she found herself sitting against the wall on Rogue's bed. But Rogue was nowhere to be found. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She was a bit confused and wondered if Rogue had left to go hunt down Bobby and Kitty. She wouldn't be surprised if she heard screams within the next hour.

She stood up, stretching out her body. A pink piece of paper, however, caught her eye in mid-stretch. It was on top of Rogue's tearstained pillow.

She picked it up and started reading.

_Hayley,_

_I'm sorry that I'm doing this but this seems like the best solution for me right now. I can't be here with them two sucking face in their rooms. I can't look at Bobby without feeling any sort of pain. He broke my heart badly, Hayley and I just can't be around him. And of course, I can't be around Kitty and you know what I'd do if I were alone with her._

_I'm leaving. Please don't be mad at me. But I feel like this is the only solution that I have right now to really think about me, Bobby, our relationship, my life for the future. I just need to get away from everything._

_Please don't try to find me. I've asked Professor to not tell you anything about where I'm going. Again, I'm really sorry... please don't be mad at me. I love you so much, Hayley. Thanks for always being there for me, for being such a good friend. You truly are the best friend that anyone could ever ask for. Thanks for everything. I'll call you soon._

_Love, Marie._

Hayley ran out of her room, not even thinking once about the pain ripping through her back. She pushed through the students, climbing up the stairs two by two. She reached the professor's door and opened it to find Logan, Storm, Piotr, Bobby and Warren Worthington Jr. standing solemnly in front of the desk.

Professor Xavier looked up. "We've been expecting you," he said sadly.

"Professor, we have to find Rogue," Hayley said urgently.

"I'm afraid we cannot. Rogue requested that I not tell anyone about where she's going."

Hayley was already growing frustrated. "Look, we have to find her! We can't just let her go off just cause some stupid asshole broke her heart!" She glared at Bobby who looked away in guilt.

"Language, Hayley. But I have given her my word."

Hayley's heart began to race. She felt acid rising up to her throat. Her whole body trembled and sweat was appearing on her forehead. She hadn't felt this way since John had left.

"Please.. please Professor. We have to find her.. we can't just let her go," she whimpered.

Professor looked incredibly sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Hayley."

She did her best to hold her tears back but looking at Bobby made them fall. Anger coursed through her veins as she walked up to Bobby and punched him hard in the jaw. He stumbled backwards, his hand holding his jaw. He groaned in pain and glared at Hayley.

Hayley felt the arms of Logan pull her back and she didn't struggle. She glared at him angrily, tears streaming down her face.

"This is all your fault!" she yelled. "You're the one who drove her away from here! You're the one that made her doubt her self-worth and made her feel so damn useless because of her powers! It's you, Bobby! It's all your fault!"

"C'mon, kid... not here," Logan whispered as he pulled her out of the office. Hayley hid her face in his arm as he led her down the stairs and into the backyard.

"This isn't fair!" Hayley screamed once they were outside. She turned around to face Logan. Her breathing came out ragged. "Why does she have to leave? Why does everyone think they have to fucking leave?!"

"It's something she thought she had to do," Logan said calmly.

"She could've just dealt with it here," Hayley moaned, wiping away her tears. "She could've stayed here..."

"Rogue thought it was necessary for her to go." Logan put his arms around her. "She'll be back."

"Everyone leaves me," Hayley said softly, sniffling.

"What are you talking about, kid?"

She pulled away from him to give him a cold stare. "You. John. Now Rogue. You all left."

"I came back."

"Yes but you always leave, don't you?!" she yelled. "John left and who knows if he'll even come back? And how do you know Rogue will come back, hm?" Hayley pointed at the school building. "Everyone, _everyone_ judged her straight from the beginning. How do you think that made her feel since she was a student here at this damn school?!

"And do you really think she's going to come back? That even after being at this school for so long, being here as a TA, she's going to want to come back? After fucking Bobby cheated on her?!"

"What do you want me to say, Hayley? What do you want me to do?" Logan said. He was surprisingly calm despite Hayley's anger and complaints that even Hayley, despite her angry state, suddenly calmed down.

Hayley walked back to him and hugged him. "Stop leaving me. Everyone, just stop leaving me."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was suggested that Hayley stay in her room for the day. One, Hayley wasn't even feeling that well to begin with- physically and emotionally. Two, she was told to stay in so she wouldn't bump into Bobby or Kitty. Everyone in the school knew Hayley was incredibly calm and chill but when she was provoked, she had a nasty temper.

Hayley hated being confined in her room but even she knew that it was best if she stayed. She didn't know what she'd do to the two if she crossed paths with them.

Rogue's side of the room was cluttered with Rogue's usual mess but it felt so empty. The room was not the same without her. She and Hayley had been roommates since they had both started attending the school. Hayley had been here first and had been the first to welcome Rogue when everyone else withdrew from her, talking about the Southern belle behind her back. Rogue was considered weird, strange but Hayley didn't let the words affect her judgment on Rogue.

Rogue had always been there for her through the good times and the bad and Hayley had been there for her through the good times and the bad. They understood what it felt like to be alone despite their situations being different. But now, now was different.

Her thoughts went back to the conversation that she had with Logan. Or more like her venting out her feelings. She hated it when people left- whether it'd be for a mission or for good. It just broke her heart whenever she had to say goodbye to people.

Hayley sighed and covered her body with her blanket. She didn't want to do anything, not even eat.

There was a knock on the door and she sighed again. "Come in."

The door opened and the tall blonde Warren Worthington came in with a soft smile. "Hey Hayley.. you alright?"

She smiled. "I'm good."

Warren had joined the X-Men team after the battle on Alcatraz Island. His father had been the creator of the Cure that would supposedly rid of the mutant powers. It turned out to be only temporary for certain mutants. Rogue, for example, gained back her powers within a few months. Others such as Magneto's powers remained to be gone but Hayley knew the professor was keeping a close watch on him.

"I just stopped by to say hi. I don't think today's little meeting would've been the most appropriate time to catch up on life," Warren said with a grin. He walked over towards her and sat on the edge of the bed. He patted her leg. "So. How's life?"

Hayley laughed. "Life has had its ups and downs. How's your dad?"

Warren chuckled. "Dad's been good... keeping to himself since the Cure."

She giggled and sat up straight, stretching out her back.

"Have you heard from.. him yet?" Warren asked, hesitating a little bit.

Hayley's eyes narrowed. "No. I haven't." She saw the shiftiness in his eyes. Something didn't feel right with the way he asked the question. "What is it?"

"Hm?" Warren pretended to look dumb.

"What, what is it? I know you know something. What do you know?" she demanded.

Warren sighed. "I... shouldn't."

"If it has something to do with John, then you better fucking tell me or-,"

"Professor said-,"

Hayley raised an eyebrow at him and he relented. She knew he remembered the last time he had withheld information from her. He sighed. "I saw him."

Her heart nearly stopped. "John?"

Warren nodded.

Her eyes filled with tears but she blinked them away. "When? Where?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"When I went to visit my dad. We were walking around town," Warren explained. "I knew it was him, I can't forget him," he said with a sigh, being reminded of the Alcatraz battle. "I confronted him."

"What?"

Warren gave her a small smile. "I knew you missed him. I knew you were hurting because of him and I told him. I told him what he had put you through, in hopes that he would maybe come back or even at least consider the thought but he didn't.

"He told me to get the hell out of there but I said no. It was stupid of me to do so but I knew how much he means to you," he continued to explain. "He basically told me he'd set my wings on fire right there on the spot. There were too many people. So I let him go."

Hayley sighed. She was disappointed with the outcome but she knew that Warren had done what he could. "Is that why you and the rest of the teachers were in the office? Talking about John?" she asked accusingly.

He didn't answer but the look in his eyes read guilty.

Hayley glared at him. "YOU are going to tell me where he was and take me there right now."

Warren looked shocked. "Wait, what? No, I can't. I won't."

"Why not?" she snarled.

"Because," he said, "it's clear that he doesn't want to be found."

"What the fuck are you talking about? What kind of stupid comment is that?"

"Because, because if he really wanted to be found, if he really wanted to then he would've come back with me," Warren firmly said.

She glared at him but didn't say anything. Aside from Logan, Warren was the next person on the list that she couldn't ever argue against. While he was a chill, outgoing guy, Warren had a seriousness to him that made him stand out from the other people their age.

"Fine," she said finally.

Warren sighed. "You know I'm doing this for your own good."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Hayley sighed, throwing the blanket over her body.


	10. Chapter 10

010.

At about midnight, everyone within the school had fallen asleep. Jubilee came into Hayley's room to see if she wanted to go out to the club with the rest of the older people. But Hayley remained still in her bed. She wasn't asleep like Jubilee thought. She was awake and remained motionless until Jubilee left.

When she felt that Jubilee and some of the others had left the mansion, she got out of bed and changed into a more comfortable attire. She grabbed her keys and the papers that had the directions to Centreport, New York where Warren's father and mother resided.

The hallways were dead quiet and it reminded her of the time when she, John, Bobby and Rogue would sneak out of their bedrooms to hang out on top of the roof. She shook her head, as if that would help shake the memories out of her bed. She pushed the button for the elevator and stepped inside.

Hayley knew that everyone would be so angry with her for leaving the mansion to find John but she had to do this. This was why she chose to go out at night when everyone was asleep. Everyone would make attempts to stop her but she had to at least try. Maybe John would come back if he saw her. He always opened up to her and her alone. Maybe his answer would be different.

The elevator doors opened to the garage. Hayley chose the car that they had driven to New Orleans when picking up Gambit. She had snatched the keys from Logan's jacket earlier. John had taught her how to pick-pocket. With a grin, she hopped into the car and waited patiently for the engine to warm up.

Her heart was nervous and anxious to go find him. She knew it wouldn't be easy and maybe she wouldn't find him. She knew that she shouldn't have her hopes set too high in case he was nowhere to be found.

What would she say to him? What would he say to her? Would things be the same or would they be different? She didn't know what to expect.

_Don't think too far... you may not even get to see him. Don't get your hopes up._

Hayley sighed.

"Midnight drive, cherie?"

Hayley jumped at the sound of Gambit who leaned over the open window of the driver's door. She glared at him. "Jeez, Gambit! Way to scare me."

"Where you off to?"

"Somewhere."

Gambit narrowed his red eyes. "I think I know you're off to, belle."

"Yeah, well, good for you."

He leaned over through the window to unlock the door and opened it. "Get outta the car."

"No."

"C'mon, he ain't worth your time."

Hayley shut off the engine and got out of the car. Slamming the door shut, she pushed him against the wall hard. "Stop, stop acting like you know me, Gambit," she spat. "You have no fucking clue what it's like to be in love, do you? To love someone so much that your heart literally rips into pieces when you even hear their name. Do you know what it feels like to not be able to be with the one you care and love?" She ran her hand through her hair, frustrated. "I have to do this, I have to try, I have to find him!"

Gambit sighed. "Belle," he said softly. "I do know. More than you know. You have to let it go."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just get back inside and go to bed." She turned to walk back inside the car.

But Gambit reached forward to grab her wrist and made her turn around. "I ain't letting you go, cherie," he said firmly.

"Get the hell off of me."

"No." He pulled her closer to him, his grip on her tighter. "You can use your little flashy power all you want, cherie but I ain't letting you go out there on your own."

"Fuck you," she spat. She struggled to break free but she couldn't. He was quite strong and kept a good firm hold on her. With her free left hand, Hayley tried to throw a punch but he grabbed a hold of her arm as well. She squirmed and attempted to pull free. She kneed him in the thigh and his grip on her loosened. She pulled away and ran towards the car.

Hayley stopped in her tracks when the car suddenly exploded. The explosion threw her backwards, knocking her right down on her back. "What the hell!" she yelled.

Gambit stood next to her with a rather amused look on her face. "I told you. I ain't letting you go." In his hand was a pair of playing cards and he shoved them into his pockets.

She started to see red and stood up, furious with what he had done. In a few minutes, everyone would be down here at the garage, wondering what on Earth had made that huge noise. She held her hands towards the car, making the flames die and eventually disappear. The garage filled with black smoke, causing the two of them to cough.

Hayley walked over to the garage door button and pressed the button. The garage door slowly opened, letting out the black smoke and letting in the fresh air. She stormed outside, not wanting to even look at Gambit.

"Joli, don't get angry with Remy," Gambit said. Hayley could hear the little tone of amusement in his voice as he stepped next to her.

The next thing she knew, she had swung her fist at Gambit and he fell to the ground.

"What the hell happened here?"

Storm and Logan had made their way down to the garage and both looked incredibly furious. Storm was angry because of the loud interruption and the mess in the garage and Logan was angry that his precious car was destroyed into pieces.

"What the fuck is going on right now?"

Hayley rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak when Gambit chuckled, getting up from the ground. "I can explain, boss," he said, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "Now ya see, Remy wanted to go on a ride round town, get some fresh air and Beautiful here, caught me tryna get into the car. One thing led to another and well.."

Hayley was shocked that he had just lied to Logan and Storm. Especially after her punching him in the face.

"Is this true, Hayley?" Storm asked sternly.

"It's no-,"

"It is, Stormy," Gambit said with a grin. His red eyes began to glow. "And Stormy, I'm very sorry about the mess. Remy will clean it up first thing in the morning."

Despite feeling like absolute shit, this scene unfolding before her eyes was almost too much. Hayley did her best not to laugh. Even cold, stone-faced Storm fell under Gambit's hypnotic spell. Her lips curved upwards and she nodded, bashfully. "Of course, Remy. Thank you for being honest with us."

"Y'all should get to sleep now. Don't want that beautiful face of yours to get wrinkles," Gambit said with a wink.

Storm was smiling from ear to ear and looked like the school's nerd being hit on by the school's jock. Hayley stared down at her feet, so afraid that she would laugh if she saw the interaction between the two. Once she heard Storm leave, she looked up at Gambit who seemed pleased with himself and Logan who looked suspicious and angry.

"Now," Logan said. "What really went on here?"

Gambit didn't say a word but merely whistled, backing away slowly. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

Hayley scowled at him and sighed. "I was going to go find John."

"Kid-,"

"That's what everyone was meeting about this morning, right?" Hayley fired back. "How Warren saw John and you guys thought it'd be best if you didn't tell me?"

"Because you would pull off some stupid shit like running towards him," Logan said firmly.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Logan! I'm fucking 21 years old and I can go to him if I'd like!"

"You don't act like a 21 year old," he shot back. "You're acting like a stupid girl who thinks she's in love with some asshole." He pointed his finger at her. "We are doing this for your own good and if you don't like it, then you can get the fuck out of here."

Hayley's throat went dry at Logan's words. He had never been so harsh and blunt with her before.

When she didn't say anything, Logan turned around and glared at Gambit. "And you fucking owe me a new car," he growled before stalking away.

Gambit chuckled. "Well that was entertainin'."

"Fuck you," she spat.

He pushed off the wall with his leg and chuckled again. "C'mon, cherie. They seem to care about you a lot, specially Wolfy."

"Wolfy?" she repeated.

"Just my little nickname for him."

She had to chuckle as she wiped away her tears from her eyes.

"Hey hey." Gambit stepped closer to her and gently rubbed her arms. "A beautiful girl like you shouldn't be crying." He pushed her hand from her face and wiped the last tear away from her cheek. He smiled at her.

It wasn't his charm. His eyes weren't glowing at the moment. Hayley knew it was because she felt vulnerable. She knew it was because she missed John so much but right at that moment, all she wanted was to be held by Gambit. She wanted Gambit to wrap his muscular arms around her and just make her feel safe in the world.

But she knew she had to restrain herself.

"I should get to bed, I guess," she said softly.

Gambit nodded. "I'll walk you."

"You don't have to."

"Well, I want to, cherie."

Gambit had a way of making her feel terrible for treating him the way that she did earlier. She looked up at him apologetically and sighed. "I'm sorry about how I acted earlier. But you have to understand that John means a lot to me."

He smiled at her. "I know. I can see it in your eyes, beautiful." He nodded over to the door. "C'mon, Stormy might come back and I don't know if I actually want to continue flirting our way out of more trouble."

Hayley laughed. "Is Stormy not your type?"

"Nah."

"So what's your type?" she asked, wiping the remainder of her tears as they walked towards the elevator. She pressed the button for the third floor.

Gambit thought for a minute. "I don't know, cherie. It's different for every girl."

"So basically you like girls who'll spread their legs?" Hayley said, forcing herself to have a straight face.

He laughed. "Now you're being judgmental, joli." He smiled. "It's hard to say what my type is. Every girl is different."

The elevator doors opened and they walked out, careful to talk in whispers. They reached Hayley's door and she turned around to bid him goodnight.

His lips curved upwards. "You ain't gon invite me in?" he asked with a wink.

Hayley rolled her eyes, playfully shoving him. "Get out of here."

He chuckled softly. "Night, cherie." He grabbed her hand and gave her hand a kiss.

She was lucky that it was dark because her face had suddenly heated up. As soon as he walked away, Hayley ran into her room and locked the door. She went into her bathroom and looked in the mirror, terrified to see the red splotches on her cheeks. She turned on the water and splashed some on her face.

"Stop acting stupid," she told herself firmly.

* * *

Again, thank you very much for the reviews! I know I'm not a good writer but I'm glad you guys are digging the story. :)


	11. Chapter 11

011.

~ONE MONTH LATER~

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun was shining brightly and there was a cool breeze added to the mix. All the kids were outside, soaking up the sun. Some were hanging out in the backyard, running under the sprinklers and playing football while the others were lounging by the pool.

Hayley had been rudely awakened by Jubilee who had ran into her room, begging her to come down to the poolside. She reluctantly got up, knowing that Jubilee wouldn't stop begging her until she said yes. Stretching out her arms, she pulled out her black bikini and put it on, yawning. She looked out the window and saw the sun and it brought a smile to her face.

"Finally!" Jubilee yelled from her chair when Hayley entered the poolside.

Hayley rolled her eyes and tossed her towel on the chair next to Jubilee. She scanned the pool and to her disgust and anger, Kitty and Bobby were already in the pool, being overly affectionate. Her eyes saw red but she tried to calm herself down. She would not react to them, she would ignore them unless they- meaning Kitty did something to provoke her. Then she would not hesitate to beat the living crap out of her.

She sat on the chair and lathered suntan lotion on her arms, face and legs. She tried to rub some on her back but failed miserably. She looked at Jubilee who was just relaxing on the chair. "Help?" Hayley asked.

Jubilee removed her sunglasses and reached over for the bottle but then stopped. She grinned instead and leaned back in her seat. "Nah."

"Why not?"

"Someone else can do that for you."

"Need a hand, cherie?"

Hayley's body stiffened and she glared at Jubilee who merely winked before she turned around to face Gambit. Her jaw almost dropped when he stood next to her chair, nothing but black swim trunks and his towel in hand. She felt stupid for gaping at him- she had seen him shirtless before.

"No, I'm good," she said shortly.

Since the night Rogue had left school, Hayley had done her best to avoid Gambit. She didn't exactly enjoy those certain "feelings" that she had felt when she had been with Gambit that night. It didn't seem right. She felt guilty. So ever since then, she had done her best to avoid him and so far, Hayley had done a good job. She took up a lot of time recovering from her injury in the infirmary with Dr. McCoy. She hadn't really seen Gambit around school.

Until now.

"C'mon, don't look like it," he chuckled.

"I'm fine," she gritted her teeth, moving her hands around to reach the unreachable areas of her back.

"Alright, let Remy help."

She felt the chair sink down because of his weight and she reluctantly surrendered. She tried to relax but her body stiffened even more when Gambit's hands applied the suntan lotion on her back. His hands were rough but it felt nice against her soft skin.

"You're too tense, joli. Maybe Remy can help you relax," he said softly, right by her ear. His breath hit her skin and she felt a chill run down her spine.

"Please," she said rolling her eyes.

"You sure? I'm known to make women relax.. and then some," he whispered.

With one swift finger movement towards the pool, Gambit found himself soaked from head to toe. Everyone laughed, amused by their little flirtation. He resurfaced, spitting out water with a scowl on his face. Hayley merely shrugged and giggled.

"You should get into the pool, doll. You'd like it in here."

"No thanks Gamby. I'll stay up here."

"Gamby?" he said with an eyebrow raised. "Making up nicknames for me now, joli?"

Hayley rolled her eyes.

"Aw, don't be like that. We can discuss nicknames in here."

"Don't think so."

"Remy begs to differ."

Suddenly, two arms grabbed her waist and she found herself flying up to the sky. She looked up and saw Warren with a cheeky smile on his face. "Put me down!" she yelled.

"Okay."

She landed hard into the water. She swam up to the surface with a mouthful of curses coming out of her mouth for Warren who landed gracefully on his feet with a smile on his face.

Hayley pushed her hair back into a ponytail and noticed Gambit swimming towards her. She pretended to not see him and swam towards the other kids. But she wasn't a very strong swimmer and felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her away from the others.

"Hey!"

"Oh c'mon, cherie. Let's just have a little fun. Remy promises to behave," he said.

Hayley pulled out of his grip and turned around to face him.

"Keep your hands to yourself," she said.

"Can try," he said with a wink. "Feelin' better since that night, cherie? I haven't seen you 'round since. You tryin' to avoid me?"

"No," she lied.

Gambit eyed her but chose to not press on it. "Maybe if you ain't busy tonight, Remy can take you on a ride through town. What you say?"

Hayley rolled her eyes and laughed. "No thanks."

"C'mon. Scared you might have a good time?"

"The opposite. Terrified that I'll have a bad time."

"Well, you won't know till you try."

"Hey, Gambit!"

They both turned to the direction of the voice and Hayley's throat burned when she saw Kitty Pryde phasing through the other kids. There was an arrogant, seductive smirk on her face.

Hayley turned back around, not wanting to look at her because if she looked at her long enough, well the Kitty Cat may be at the bottom of the swimming pool.

"Hey Gambit," Kitty said flirtaciously.

"Hey there Pussycat," Gambit greeted her. "How you doin?"

"I'm good... sleep well last night?"

"Could've slept better."

Hayley snorted, swimming over to the ledge of the pool. She got out, squeezing out the water in her hair. She sat on the chair and watched the two interact. Gambit kept glancing over at Hayley while Kitty did her best to keep his attention on her, flaunting everything that she had. She chuckled.

She laid on the lounge chair and soaked in the sun, shutting her eyes. The sun was beating down on her skin and she made a mental note to remind herself not to fall asleep. The last time she had done that, her skin had been red for a month.

Suddenly, she felt the sun's heat disappear. She opened her eyes to find Gambit blocking the sunrays and staring down at her with a grin. She rolled her eyes and sat up, crossing her legs. "Yes?"

"Geez, someone's a bit jealous." He sat down on the chair with her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Dollface, it's written all over your face." Gambit smirked. "So what you say about the ride around town? Remy can make it worth your time."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "No thanks."

"C'mon cherie. You know you want to. Don't you want to know what it's like to have a night out with Remy LeBeau?"

"Nope."

He chuckled and moved closer to her. She didn't turn her head away but merely stared at him. His grin widened when his face drew in closer to hers. Their noses almost touched.

"You sure? You sure in those cold lonely nights up in your room, you don't even think about dear ole Remy?" he said in a whisper.

Hayley knew how to keep a pokerface. She merely smirked. "I'm damn sure."

And for the second time of the day, Gambit was dunked into the water. The other people laughed, amused by their little exchange. She giggled, grabbing her towel and walking back inside to the mansion.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was a knock on her door. Hayley groaned, too full to even move around. Storm had cooked up quite a meal for dinner tonight- probably to impress Gambit after last night. She giggled at the thought as she walked over to open the door.

Her face fell and turned into a frown when she saw who it was. "What do you want?"

Bobby looked guilty and fearful of his life being in front of Hayley. He ran his hand through his hair, nervous. "Um.."

"What!"

"Look, could you tell Gambit to ease off on Kitty?" he asked.

She snorted. "Are you serious? So now you know how it felt for Rogue to see you all over Kitty."

He scowled. "Don't.."

"What, don't bring it up? Listen, get the hell out of my face. I can't believe that you have the balls to ask me this. Go tell him yourself. Fuck off, Bobby." She slammed the door in his face and stalked off to her bed, furious at him.

There was another knock on the door and Hayley was livid. She stormed up to the door again, ready to punch him in the face. "What the fuck did-,"

Gambit raised his hands up in self-defense, a bit alarmed at her outburst. "Whoa, whoa easy there! I ain't Bobby."

Hayley relaxed, breathing deeply. "So did Bobby talk to you?"

He looked confused. "Moi? About what?"

She chuckled. "Wants you to get off Kitty's jock."

Gambit laughed. "Maybe it'd be best if he told Kitty to get off mine."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Seeing if you still would like a ride out on town."

"Don't you ever give up?"

"Remy LeBeau never gives up, especially for a beautiful girl like you," he said with a wink.

She sighed. "If I go this one time, will you never ask me again?"

"Oh I won't ask after tonight. You'll be the one asking," he chuckled.

Hayley wagged a finger at him. "Alright, there is going to be no touching, no invasion of one's personal space, got that? This isn't a date, this is just me going out with you because you won't leave me alone."

Gambit chuckled, shrugging. "Suit yourself, cherie. Wear something nice."

She rolled her eyes and shut the door. She took off her pajamas and rummaged through her closet. "Hey Gambit?" she called out.

"Oui, belle?"

"Where are you taking me?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well I gotta know what to wear."

"Why don't I come in and tell you what to wear?"

"Alright, nevermind."

Hayley decided to go with a casual black dress. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked fine, not too dressy but not too scrubby. She tied her hair back into a ponytail and grabbed her purse.

Gambit let out a low whistle when he saw her. "You do know how to make a man go wild, petite."

Hayley blushed at his comment and scowled. "Alright, let's go."

They walked quietly towards the elevators. Hayley was a bit embarrassed at the stares that they were getting but she couldn't help but smile mischeviously towards Kitty who looked shocked and angry. The elevator doors, thankfully opened up as soon as Gambit hit the button and the two walked in.

Gambit approached a navy blue Mustang and held the door open for Hayley. She stepped inside, putting on her seatbelt. "So I'm curious about how you came across this car," she said when Gambit got in after pushing the garage door open.

He grinned. "Well, I thought since I've got Stormy wrapped around my finger, thought I'd cash it in. You like?"

Hayley chuckled. "It's pretty."

He looked over at her and smiled. "Ain't as pretty as you, petite."


	12. Chapter 12

Many thanks for the reviews :)

* * *

012.

An hour and a half of driving led to many random topics in the car with Gambit. Of course, he continually inserted his jokes about the two of them being together in the car, in bed, in the bathroom at the bar but Hayley shot all of those down. They discussed Storm and her cold personality, Kitty Pryde's pathetic attempts to get in Gambit's pants- "Pussycat ain't my type but it's fun messin' with her", and then some.

They eventually arrived at their destination. He parked in front of a small bar. The bouncers didn't even bother asking for ID- they nodded at Gambit and allowed him in with no questions asked. Gambit must've come here often because many of the people inside greeted him. He tipped his hat to each of his greeters, making small talk with some. Hayley kept her eyes ahead as she heard the whispers around her, wondering who she was. She did her best not to turn red, not wanting them to get the idea that she and Gambit had something aside from friendship.

"What would you like, petite?" Gambit asked as they approached the bar.

"Jack and Coke," she replied.

He chuckled, raising his eyebrow and ordered her drink and one of his own. He led her to a table in the corner, away from the prying eyes of the bar.

"You must come here a lot," Hayley commented.

"And why do you say that?"

"Cause all these people know you."

Gambit smiled. "Sometimes first impressions are lasting impressions."

The bartender came over with their drinks. Hayley sipped on her drink, looking at the people around her. They were all different but all were so inviting and friendly towards another. She smiled at the sight.

"Thinking about me, cherie?"

Hayley rolled her eyes. "If I was, I wouldn't be smiling."

He laughed. "If you say so."

"So are they all mutants?"

Gambit eyed the people around them. "Hard to say. If they are, they haven't shown themselves to me yet."

"Heyyy Remy."

Hayley and Gambit both looked up to find a couple of rather intoxicated women stumbling towards their table. Gambit's lips curved upwards as he stood up to greet the women. Hayley looked the other way. She didn't want to be judgmental but they were bringing upon themselves with their outfits that left little to the imagination. She snickered to herself when she heard the sexual innuedos that the women made towards Gambit.

"Who's your little friend, Remy?" one of them asked, stooping down. Her eyes glared at her, obviously feeling a bit threatened.

Hayley smirked and decided to have a little fun of her own. "Just an old friend of dear Remy," she said as sweetly as she could and had to bite down on her tongue when the women looked shocked. To make it even more fun, she moved closer to Gambit, her hand draping over his shoulders and playing with his hair.

"Care to explain this, Remy?" the other woman snarled.

Gambit laughed. "Like she said, she's just an old friend."

The women grumbled and eventually left. Gambit looked down at her, a bit surprised. "What was that all about?"

"Just thought I'd have some fun myself."

He grinned. "Knew you'd come around eventually."

"Cajun, you wish." She moved away from him, sinking back into her seat and taking a sip of her drink. "Who were those girls?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Two of my many conquests."

Hayley wrinkled her nose. "That's not exactly something to be proud of."

"Well, why not?"

"Don't you want to be in a normal, healthy relationship? You won't get one with sleeping around with as many as women as you can," she said.

He laughed. "Cherie, for me, it's just better this way."

She frowned and was about to say something but decided not to press him about it. If Gambit didn't like being relationships then that was his choice. She wasn't going to be snobby about it. She cleared her throat, changing the subject. "Thanks for taking me out," she said softly. "I needed this."

"Anytime, petite. So," he said, pulling out a pack of cards and shuffling the deck. "We've been together for.. how long? Several months, wouldn't you say? And we don't know a thing about each other."

"Your point?" she asked.

"Well I'd like to get to know the beautiful belle who kidnapped me from my home," Gambit grinned.

Hayley laughed at the memory when she had first met him. "That was a good time," she sighed. She took another sip of her drink. "So, what do you want to know?"

"What turns you on?"

She almost spit out her drink- she hadn't expect something like that to be the first question. But then again, she was speaking to Gambit. She rolled her eyes at him. "Are you serious?"

"C'mon, petite. Tell me what turns you on."

"You'd only use this information to get in my pants," Hayley accused.

"Maybe, maybe not."

Hayley rolled her eyes again and smiled. "Well I love it when guys smell like crap. Like a week old pile of shit. That's just a delicious smell. Really drives me wild. I also love guys with yellow teeth. Did you know yellow's my favorite color? And-,"

"Alright, enough with the jokes, cherie," Gambit said, though he was chuckling himself. "What really turns you on? What'd you like in your beau?"

Hayley chuckled and paused, thinking. "Well.. I love a good sense of humor. Someone who can make me laugh."

"And?"

"Oh I don't know," she sighed. "I just like someone who is funny and laidback but know when it's time to be serious. Someone who's kind, loyal and respectful. Someone who'll protect me and always be there for me. Someone who I can trust." She sighed again and looked at Gambit who had a mischevious grin on his face. "What?"

"Funny? I'm funny, petite. I've made you laugh plenty of times," he said, counting off with his fingers.

Hayley laughed. Normally she would've stopped him and shot him down but not tonight. Maybe it was the alcohol running in her system that clouded her judgement a little bit but she was curious to hear what he had to say.

"Kind, loyal and respectful? That's me. How many times have I held my tongue back for you? Remy's protected you plenty of times," Gambit winked.

"And trust? What about that?" Hayley asked.

"I don't know, joli. Am I trustworthy to you?"

She looked at him in the eye and wondered whether to lie or tell the truth.

"Yeah, you are. For the most part," she finally answered. The truth did really feel good. She held her cup to her lips and took a drink.

"For the most part?" Gambit asked, confused.

"Meaning there's still that small chance that you'll flake out and do something that'll make me never to trust you ever again." She smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry. I have that for everyone."

"Hm." Gambit looked at her thoughtfully. "So is there no one that you trust 100%?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess Logan would come as the closest I'm coming to trust."

"But is he someone you can trust 100%?"

Hayley felt a little uncomfortable with his questions and it must've been obvious to Gambit because he held his hands up. "Sorry if I'm being pushy, joli."

"No no." Hayley shook her head. "It's just no one's ever asked me those questions before." She paused, thinking about Gambit's question. "I guess my answer would be no. But he's the closest to reaching 100."

Gambit nodded. They sat quietly for a few minutes, taking in the scene before them. People were pairing off left and right to dance, guys walked around with beer glass in their hands, scoping out the ladies while the women made sure their hair was fabulous and perfect.

"Favorite color?"

Hayley chuckled. "How do we go from turn-ons to favorite color?" She shook her head with a grin. "I love gold. Yours?"

"Mmm, right now, I'm into green," he answered quickly.

"Why green?"

He looked down at her, his lips curved upwards to form a small, genuine smile. "Your eyes."

She thanked the heavens that they were in a bar so Gambit wouldn't see her blushing. She could feel her face turning red and getting hot. She looked away at him, not wanting to let him see the smile on her face.

"So, am I turnin' you on now?" he teased.

"You wish, Gamby," she said, rolling her eyes.

He downed his beer and nodded his head over to the dance floor. "Wanna dance?"

Hayley giggled and shook her head. "No way."

"What? Remy LeBeau is up for some dancing and he knows that you have some serious dance moves." Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed her arm and dragged her out on the dance floor.

"Hey!"

He had a rather mischevious grin on his face, his body swaying to the music. He held onto her hand and drew her closer to his body. She giggled and decided to go with the flow. What was the harm in dancing with him? It wasn't like she hadn't done it before.

Their bodies molded together at the rhythm of the music and Hayley found herself having a good time with Gambit. Sure, he could be a pain in the ass a lot of times but deep down, she knew that he was a good guy who didn't mean anything by his remarks and actions. She laughed at his flirtacious comments and gave him playful smacks on his arm when he made them.

The fast song died down and the DJ had turned on a slow song. Hayley looked around, seeing people pairing up with each other. She looked at Gambit and nodded over at their table. "Wanna go sit?"

He smiled. "Nah, I wanna keep dancing, beb." He held out his hand.

Hayley blushed and took his hand. Her body slightly tensed when he placed his other arm around her waist, pulling her close to his body. They swayed back and forth to the sound of Mariah Carey's voice. She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. But closing her eyes was a bad idea.

What should've been a fun, feel-good night was starting to turn into a night where all she was going to do was think about him.

_When you left, I lost a part of me. Is this so hard to believe? Come back baby, please cause we belong together. Who else am I gon lean on when times get rough? Who's gon talk to me on the phone when the sun comes up? Who's gon take your place? There ain't nobody better baby cause we belong together._

"Mon cherie, what's wrong, baby?"

Hayley lifted her head up at the sound of Gambit's concerned voice. "Hm? Nothing."

"You look sad. Somethin' on your mind?"

"No."

"You're not moping about your old beau, are ya?"

Hayley eyed him. "How did you know?"

"I've seen a few heartbroken people in my life," Gambit said with a small laugh. "C'mon, petite. You need to stop thinking about that guy."

"Stop it," Hayley said defensively.

Gambit pouted his lips. "He must've hurt you real good. You really care about this idiot."

Hayley glared at him. "Yeah well maybe I'm an idiot too."

He chuckled. "You ain't no idiot, Hayley. Just someone in love." He suddenly let her go and nodded over back to the table. She followed him and he stood by the table, not saying a word.

"Gambit?" Hayley asked, tapping his shoulder. She was confused why they had abruptly left the dancefloor.

He turned around with fire in his eyes. It scared her a bit and scared her even more when he suddenly had a smile on his face.

"You really love this guy, joli?" he asked.

Hayley smiled sadly. "I do."

He grinned even bigger. "Then let's go find him."

Hayley's eyes widened. "What?"

"C'mon, petite. You really love this guy, right? You really want him back to that school? Well, let's go find him instead of waiting 'round." He grabbed her hand and the two ran out of the bar and towards the car.

"Wait, wait. Why are you helping me?" Hayley asked, stopping in her tracks.

Gambit sighed and walked up to her. "I ain't too sure, petite. But it seems like something that you really need."

"And you're willing to take me to find him?"

"Well, I'm considerin' changin' my mind if you don't get in the car."

Hayley didn't have to think twice. She immediately got into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. Gambit got in as well, starting up the engine. He let the car sit for a while, letting the car warm up a bit. "Where should we start?"

"Centerport. Warren saw him there last."

"Cupid?" Gambit said.

Hayley rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Yes. The guy with the wings."

He smiled and patted her hand. "Don't worry petite. We'll find your loverboy."

"Thank you," she sighed happily. "Thank you so much."

* * *

Yes, I do find incredible joy in cock-blocking my characters. Hahah.


	13. Chapter 13

013.

Centerport wasn't too long of a drive. Hayley had spent most of the drive sleeping, only to be rudely woken up by Gambit who had decided it would be funny to belt out at the top of his lungs to some country song on the radio. She woke up angrily, covering herself with her jacket that had slipped down to the floor of the car. She muttered curses under her breath about the cold as she settled back into her seat.

"If you're cold, we can stop on the side of the road so I can warm you up."

"Shut up," she said grumpily.

"You ain't a morning person, are you, Hayley?" he said, amused.

"Don't talk to me."

Gambit laughed and continued to sing loudly. She sighed, leaning her head against the window. Despite her tired state, she was surprised and impressed with his voice. He had a nice singing voice. She closed her eyes, listening to him sing to a song that she didn't know.

"You have a nice voice, Gamby," she said with a yawn.

"Why thank you, petite. That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Hayley chuckled. "Yeah probably." She sat up straight, stretching out her arms.

"We're almost there. Maybe 30 minutes."

Hayley looked at Gambit. "Seriously, Gambit, I just really want to thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

He nodded. "No need to thank me. It's something that you gotta do."

"If you don't mind me asking, what made you really want to do this for me?" she asked. She was curious that someone who had spoke badly of her relationship with John would suddenly go out of his way to drive her miles to find John.

Gambit shifted in his seat a bit, silent. He looked as though he was trying to find the right words to say to her.

"Well, cherie. Let's just say that Remy has gone through something like you are right now and it was too late for him."

"Oh." Gambit had someone that he cared for like how she cared for John? She was curious about this but the tone of his voice and look on his face stopped her. He seemed solemn and serious, not really like the Gambit that she knew. She settled back into her seat. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, kinda."

"No worries." He smiled at her. "Let's just go find you your beau. Any ideas on where to start?"

She looked over at the clock. It read 7:02 AM. She knew that Warren would be sleeping but only he had the answer to Gambit's question. She sighed and pulled out her phone to call him.

"Hello?" said a very groggy, tired Warren.

"Hi.. I'm sorry for calling so early.."

"Hayley?"

"Yeah."

"What.. what are you doing, calling me for? Couldn't you knock on the door?"

"Look, can you just tell me the exact location where you saw John?" she asked quickly. She wanted to make use of Warren's tired, disheveled state of mind.

"It was down by the marketplace.." he yawned.

"Thanks, Warren. Sorry for waking you." She hung up quickly before he could have time to think clearly about their phone call and start asking questions. "Marketplace."

Gambit grinned. "Alright, cherie. Let's go."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The marketplace that Warren had directed them to was already packed by the time that they arrived. It was a huge area, filled with people and plenty of stores and so Hayley was back in square one on where to find him. She got out of the car and put her hands on her hips, trying to figure out what to do next.

"So," Gambit said, observing the crowds.

"So."

"What next? You got a picture of him to show people?" he asked.

Hayley nodded. "I have one in my wallet. I guess we'll just make our rounds around the stores."

Gambit nodded in agreement and the two of them started going into the stores. Hayley was desperate to find him, her stomach felt like it was in knots everytime she stepped foot into a store. She waited in anticipation and anxiety when each of the store owners took the picture and carefully examined John's face. Her heart would drop when they each told her that they had never seen him around.

Gambit patted her shoulder as they walked out of the grocery store. "Don't lose hope, cherie."

"I don't know how Warren spotted him with this many people here," Hayley grumbled.

"Let's take a break, alright? C'mon." Gambit led her to a small coffee shop.

Gambit ordered a cup of coffee for her and they sat down at a table when Hayley got her coffee. She sighed sadly, sipping the hot liquid. "I think we've come here for nothing."

He snorted and swiped the picture from her hand. He stood up and walked back to the counter. Hayley watched him as he interacted with the cute redhead waitress and showed the picture of John to her. She turned red, fumbling with her words- probably distracted by Gambit's charm but she shook her head. Hayley went back to putting her head on the table.

"Sorry petite."

"It's okay. You tried." She sighed. "Maybe we should head back."

"We haven't hit up half the stores yet."

Her phone started ringing and Hayley answered the call without looking at the screen. "Hello?"

"You have five seconds to tell me what the fuck you're doing in Centerport and then you have another hour to get your ass back home now."

Hayley groaned. "Logan-,"

"Four."

"John."

"Fucking hell, Hayley! You need to get your ass back home now or else I'm coming after you."

"I'm not here by myself, Gambit's here too."

"The fuckin' Cajun is with you too?!"

"Logan, calm down! I'm fine, we're all fine, okay?" Hayley sighed. "Look, this is something that I need to do, Logan. You know this."

That didn't stop him from letting out a long rant of curses. She waited patiently for Logan to end his rant and his threats to slice up Gambit once they got home. "Logan, I need this. I need to do this."

He sighed. "Dammit, Hayley. You better know what the fuck you're getting yourself into. We are going to talk when you get home. And tell that fucking Cajun the same thing."

"Fine."

Gambit let out a low whistle. "Wolfy not happy?"

"Not one bit." She smiled.

"Ah, well we'll deal with that when we get back home." He patted her shoulder. "Wanna go look 'round some more, petite?"

The two of them got up from their seats and headed back outside. They stopped by a few more stores and even a small dirty motel. The manager eyed Hayley up and down and licked his lip but stopped immediately when Gambit gave him a menancing stare. Nervous, the manager shook his head, saying he hadn't seen him.

"Where now?" Gambit asked, running his hand through his hair. He looked tired and frustrated.

Hayley felt guilt in her heart because the reason why he was running around a city so early in the morning was because of her. She looked around at her surroundings and sighed. It seemed as though John was nowhere to be found and all these stores seemed to be giving her the same answer.

"We'll try one more place," she said to him.

Gambit raised an eyebrow. "What you mean?"

She smiled weakly at him. "Look, let's face it. Everyone was right. We're not going to find John here. Might as well stop wasting time right?"

He looked a little concerned. "You sure, cherie? We can keep going."

Hayley shook her head. "You've done enough." She pointed over to the bookstore that was right across the street. "One more place and then we'll get going." They carefully crossed and saw an elderly man outside, with a nametag of his name and the bookstore name.

"Good morning sir," Hayley greeted him. The old man looked a bit surprised but smiled sweetly at her.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, um, I was wondering if you've ever seen this guy around here?" Hayley pulled out the picture of John from her pocket and handed it to the man.

The old man squinted and suddenly, he smiled. "Ah yes! John Allerdyce. Good boy."

"You, you know him?" Hayley's heart began to race.

"Sure do. He's been here for quite some time. Comes to the bookstore from time to time to help out and to talk. He's a good kid, very good kid." The old man eyed her. "You must be Hayley."

Her eyes widened. "He's.. talked about me?"

"Always mentioned you whenever we sat down with a cup of coffee," he chuckled. "I suppose you're here to find him and bring him back to that college that he goes to."

Hayley grinned. "Yes. College."

The old man chuckled again but sighed. "He hasn't been coming around lately. I havent' seen him for a couple weeks, I'm sorry to say."

Her heart plummeted.

"Did he say where he was headin' off to?" Gambit finally spoke up.

The old man shook his head. "He never said anything about his future plans. He reminds me of me- just doing what feels right at the moment." He looked at Hayley. "I'm sorry that I ain't much help."

"No, you've been a great help. Thank you so much." Hayley smiled.

The old man nodded. "I hope he-,"

"Hey Mister Davis. Sorry I haven't been around lately."

Hayley's body froze when he walked past her to greet the old man. The old man looked just as shocked as she did but he bursted out into a laugh. "John, my boy! It's good to see you." He patted his shoulders with happiness in his eyes. "I think there's someone here that's been wanting to see you." He pushed his body around to face her.

Hayley's eyes filled with tears when his jaw dropped. His brown eyes widened, filled with shock.

"Hayley?"

* * *

I've been kinda stuck with where to go for this story soooo I'm sorry if you guys didn't like this chapter. Thanks for still reading/reviewing!


	14. Chapter 14

014.

Hayley couldn't believe that John Allerdyce was really standing in front of her. He looked like he hadn't slept well for a long time. His clothes were a bit ratty and he had a backpack over one shoulder. His brown eyes looked tired and sad. John looked like hell but Hayley couldn't be any happier seeing him, disheveled state and all. But she couldn't move her body, couldn't move to give him a hug, to punch him in the face, to kiss him.

But something seemed wrong.

John's hand dangled next to his pocket, his fingers twitching slightly. They were edging a little too close to his pocket. His eyes were full of suspicion, darting back and forth from Hayley to Gambit. Hayley hadn't been expecting a warm welcome but the reaction she was receiving wasn't something that she expected either.

"John..."

.

John ran his other hand through his hair. "What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding a little frustrated.

Not exactly the emotion that Hayley wanted to hear either.

"You, John. I wanted to see you," Hayley replied softly.

"Hayley-,"

She suddenly felt a surge of energy and threw her arms around his neck, catching him off guard. The tears streamed down her face as she held onto him tight. Relief washed over her when she felt his own arms wrap around her waist. He was still John, he was still the same guy that she had known and loved for so long.

"John, I missed you so much," she sobbed.

But she suddenly felt his hands unravel from her body and push her away from him. She was suddenly confused at his sudden move. "John?"

"Get out of here," he suddenly growled.

"What do you mean? I'm not leaving without you," she said firmly.

John rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Just get the hell out of here, Hayley. I'm not coming back to the school... no way in hell I'm coming back."

Hayley forced her tears back and took a step towards him. "John... stop it. You don't know what you're saying. What about us? You're just going to leave our relationship hanging? You're going to leave me?"

Fear ran through her body when John stood up straight and looked at her dead in the eye.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

She could feel herself about to lose it and it would not be a good thing to lose control when there were people all around her. She clenched her fists and breathed deeply. From the corner of her eye, the mailbox was starting to shake.

"John.. if we could just go sit and talk-,"

"What's there to talk about?" he spat.

"Where the fuck is this all coming from?" Hayley cried. Her shaky hands reached out for his but he pulled his hands away from her as if she had some contagious disease. "Why are you doing this?"

John sighed, frustrated. "Because it has to be done. I'm never going to be some fucking Prince Charming that you want in your life."

"I never wanted Prince Charming!" Hayley hissed, still trying to maintain her anger. "I just wanted you! I wanted John Allerdyce."

"Perhaps it would be best if you two talked inside," the old man, Mister Davis spoke up meekly. "To have some privacy."

"It's alright, Mister Davis. I was about to leave."

"You are not leaving until we figure this shit out," she snarled.

John glared at her. "What's there to figure out? We're done, its' over. I'm not going back to the school and I don't want to see you again."

Hayley's heart almost stopped beating. "Bullshit," she managed to spit out.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, darling," he said sarcastically before turning around to walk away.

Hayley found herself walking after him. Her hands grabbed his arm and she spun him around. She placed his hands on his face and held him close. "Please.. don't do this," she whispered. "We can figure this out. We really can.. please.."

"No we can't. Get the fuck out of my face." He pushed her away with force, causing her to almost fall backwards but Gambit caught her right away.

"That ain't no way to treat a lady." Gambit helped Hayley steady on her feet and narrowed his red eyes at him. His arm was wrapped protectively around Hayley.

John's hatefilled eyes observed the body language between the two and snorted. "And who's this guy?"

"Just a friend," Hayley snapped.

"Really?" he said sarcastically. "Well, enjoy your life with this guy, Hayley."

Hayley suddenly felt scared. This was a John that she hadn't seen before. John Allerdyce was sarcastic and rude but never this much. "I love you, John Allerdyce. Please tell me that you still feel the same and that this whole trip coming here wasn't in vain." She choked out a please.

But when John didn't answer right away, Hayley knew his answer. Tears slipped out of her eyes and she walked back up to him and held onto him tight, as if that would suck the words that she desperately wanted to hear right out of his mouth. But he didn't. He didn't say a word.

"Why," she choked out. "Why won't you say it?"

John sighed angrily and pushed her off of him. "We were just kids, we were just fooling around! Get that through your damn head, okay? I don't love you, I've never loved you! We were just kids!"

Hayley had never experienced such a feeling before. Her heart felt like it was being stabbed deep by a knife. Her legs trembled and her vision was getting blurry. He was wrong. He didn't mean it.

"No.. you're-,"

"I'm not lying," John snapped. "I don't love you, Hayley Madden. So just get the fuck out of my way and don't ever come back looking for me. I'm done with you." He was about to push her off again but Gambit pulled her back behind him and he stepped up towards John who merely snorted. "Now what?"

"Now what did I say earlier about how pushin' ain't gon get you the ladies?"

"Well buddy, that's how I treat ladies."

"John, please.. don't leave me," Hayley managed to choke out as she ran after him. Gambit tried to hold her back but she squirmed out of his grip.

"John!"

John turned around, furious. She saw him reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small lighter. Her eyes widened in shock. He wouldn't.

There was such a bitterness in his eyes that Hayley couldn't fathom. Where had this hatred suddenly come from?

"Just get out of here, Hayley! What more do I have to do? We were just kids! I don't love you. Never have, never will!" he yelled, flipping the lighter open and creating a huge fireball in his hands.

People screamed when they saw fire coming from John's hands. They screamed "Mutant! Mutant!" and ran for their lives. Hayley stood her ground, not wanting to leave John. "Please," she whispered.

"I don't love you," he spat and threw the fireball towards her.

Hayley felt someone grab her by the waist, moving her out of the way. She felt the heat of the fire against her body as they tumbled onto the hard concrete ground. She looked up to find Gambit smiling down at her. "You alright, cherie?"

She looked up to see John with an envious and angry look on his face. "Stay down, petite," Gambit whispered.

"No, you'll get yourself killed!" she hissed but he didn't listen to her.

He stood up from the ground and faced John. "So you're the infamous Pyro that everyone over at the school's been talkin' about," Gambit said loudly. "Don't see why they talk about you- you ain't worth talkin' about in my book."

John didn't say anything but threw another fireball at Gambit. He leaped high into the air and onto a car, avoiding the fire. But John wasn't done yet. He threw one after another, each one just barely missing Gambit.

Gambit dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a deck of cards that started to levitate in the air. At the movement of his arms, the cards raced towards John and hit him hard in the chest. John flew backwards, skidding along the street.

"You best learn how to treat a lady, Pyro," Gambit called out to him with a smirk. "That sorta attitude ain't gon help you score with them."

John got back up to his feet, eyeballing Hayley. "Well, you can have that one," he growled and threw another fireball at him.

Hayley got up and ran in front of Gambit. She held up her arms in defense, using her telekinesis to deflect the stream of fire from hurting Gambit. She could feel the intense heat beating down on her but she had to hold it up for Gambit. John didn't look like he'd stop the fight.

With all her strength that she had left inside, she gave it into her telekinesis. The force of it destroyed the stream of fire and sent John flying backwards, this time hitting the concrete wall hard.

Hayley fell to the ground herself, drained from the use of her powers. She felt Gambit pulling her body up onto her feet. "C'mon cherie, I'm sorry but we need to get outta here."

"But John..." she mumbled.

"He's on his own."

Even in her disoriented state of mind, she could hear the faint police sirens that were getting louder and louder. She opened her eyes long enough to take another look at John who was still unconcious on the ground.

A part of her wanted to help him. This would be the perfect opportunity to bring him back to the school even if it was against his own will. But she knew that Gambit would never allow it after the fiasco from today. And she wasn't even sure if she herself wanted to bring him back now.. now that she knew the truth.

Gambit carried Hayley back to their car, avoiding the stares and murmurs of the people. He placed her in the passenger seat and buckled her up. As he got inside to start the car, Hayley felt exhausted, humuliated and broken. All this time she had been moping, wishing that he'd come back. All this time she had thought he loved her but the truth was now clear that he didn't love her.

She jumped slightly when Gambit's hand touched her own. She turned her head to him, seeing a soft sympathetic smile on his face. "Don't worry, petite. It'll get better," he comforted, giving her a hand a tight squeeze.

She couldn't even bring herself to smile. Instead, she turned her head away from him and cried.  


* * *

Thanks again for the many reviews! They really do mean a lot and helps me with the writing process.


	15. Chapter 15

015.

The ride back to the school was silent minus Hayley's sniffling. Gambit didn't even make any attempts to make jokes or sing along to the radio to try and make her feel better. She was glad. Hayley was tired but mostly her heart was broken by the one person whom she thought she could trust forever. But apparently, that wasn't the case on his end. He clearly hadn't been on the same page as she had been for all these years.

And it hurt.

Hayley felt so stupid for falling for John Allerdyce. Everyone had told her to cut him off when he had left the first time but she had been so stupid, so foolish to give him another chance. She had been blinded by love to really see the person that John was becoming. Being in a malicious group like the Brotherhood with an evil mutant like Magneto had really messed John up. It messed him up to the point where he couldn't tell between the good and the bad.

She was eating everyone's words. Everything that they had said about John was all kicking her ass right now. She never felt so humiliated in her life.

Hayley felt like an asshole for giving so much to him, for opening up her heart to him. He was the only one that actually listened to her, the only one that seemed to understand her. And for the most part, she understood him too. They were on the same wave length. They knew when to push and when to stop. They knew what the other person was feeling without saying a word. They just knew each other.

Or so Hayley thought.

Her heart was hurting so badly. She knew she wouldn't be feeling this way if she hadn't trusted him with everything in her life. She gave him everything and all she got in return was a mangled heart.

The car pulled into the driveway. Gambit pushed a button to open the garage and in the garage was a pissed off Logan and Storm sitting on the hood of the car. When they saw the car rolling up, Logan hopped off and unleashed his claws.

Gambit let out a low whistle. "Someone ain't too happy today," he chuckled.

Hayley didn't say anything.

As soon as the car engine was cut off, Logan had walked over to the driver's side and with one swift motion, managed to open the door and pull Gambit right out of the seat. He pushed Gambit against the side of the car and held his metal claws at his throat.

"What the fuck were you doing, taking Hayley all the way to Centerport without telling any of us?!" Logan growled.

Gambit laughed, holding his hands up in self-defense. "Easy there, boss. She wanted to g-,"

"That reason ain't good enough, bub!"

"You didn't even let me finish!" Gambit laughed again.

Hayley stepped out of the passenger seat and slammed the door as hard as she could to get everyone's attention. Logan looked up at her angrily.

"Enough! Stop hurting Gambit- this was NOT his fault. I wanted to go there and he offered to take me!" she yelled at him. "Leave him alone, Logan. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Logan looked like he was ready to kill someone. "I'll get to you in a second cause that's all it's going to take for me to slice his head off!"

"Shut up, Logan!"

Storm suddenly stepped in. "Now.. let's just relax.." she said soothingly. Hayley was a bit surprised at how.. calm she was during this whole situation.

Logan shoved Gambit hard against the car and walked over to her. He withdrew his claws. "Hayley, I don't know what the fuck you think you're doing but you-,"

"Oh save it," she snapped. "Look, I went, found John and got an answer from him. Now let's just drop it!"

"And the answer?"

"Well, he's not here with me, is he?" Hayley yelled, tears starting to fall. "You can say I told you. Just say it, Logan."

Logan's face fell. He ran his hand through his hair. "I ain't gonna say that, kid." He stepped to her and pulled her in for a hug but she took a step back, shaking her head. He sighed, still moving forward to embrace her. She wanted to fight, she wanted to yell and scream at the top of her lungs but the will to fight was gone.

"Look.. I'm just gonna go to my room," she said softly, looking up at him. "I'm sorry if I worried you."

Hayley pushed past Logan and walked into the school. As she walked up the stairs and through the hallways, the people stopped to stare. She could hear their whispers but chose to ignore them. She walked towards her room when she heard someone call out her name.

"Hayley!"

She reluctantly turned around to see Warren and Jubilee running towards her. Both took notice of Hayley's red tearstained eyes. "Hayley.. what happened?" Warren asked softly.

She couldn't find the words to tell him but thank God for Jubilee who was quick enough to figure out what had happened. She gave him a Look and turned to her with a sad smile. "Do you need anything?"

"I just need to be alone." Hayley turned back around and continued to her room.

Once in her room, Hayley slammed the door shut. The first thing she saw were the photos up on her walls. Photos of her and John together. Her heart filled with anger as she ran towards them, ripping them off the walls. She tore every photo of him down, disposing them in her trash can.

She moved to her bed, got on her knees and pulled out a box. In it were little tokens, little things that she had collected over the years that were reminders of John. She dumped those into the trash can too.

Once Hayley had finished collecting anything that was related to John, she stormed out of her room and down the stairs. She ignored everyone, pushing those who were standing in her way. She ran out to the backyard and put the trash can down on the concrete table. She threw out her hand and a small stream of fire shot towards the trash can, setting the whole thing on fire.

Her eyes watched the photos wither, turning into ashes. It pained her to have to do this but she knew it was the right thing to do. Everyone had been telling her to move on and take the photos from off the walls. Before she had been naïve and have had hopes that one day, John would return to her. She didn't want to erase him out of her life just because of what other people said. She would only do so once she got a direct answer from him.

Now she did.

Now it was time to move on.

"Careful with that. Don't want to be starting a fire at the school, cherie."

Hayley turned around and saw Gambit approaching her slowly. He was shuffling a deck of cards in his hands. He stopped a few feet away, probably not wanting to invade her personal space just yet. He cracked a small smile towards her. "How you doin' cherie?"

"Peachy."

He chuckled softly. "Yeah, sure looks like it," he said, nodding his head over at the fire on the table. "I'm thinking you should put that fire out now, petite."

Hayley looked back over at the table and stretched out her hand. The fire died down, leaving nothing but black ashes on the table.

She heard him walking closer to her. His hand landed on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Sorry, petite- about you and your beau."

"Yeah." She sighed and looked down at the ground.

"You need anything?" He stepped in front of her, his hands gently brushing against her arms. "Cause, you know.. Remy can give you anything you need," he said in a sultry voice.

She shook her head sadly. "I'm not in the mood to joke around, Gambit."

"Just wanted to see you smile, cherie."

She shook her head again. "Now's not really a good time. Thanks for trying."

Gambit chuckled. "Alright, then." He tapped her nose gently with a finger. "I'll see you around then. If you ever want to talk, Remy's here." He took his hands off her arms and started to walk away.

Hayley watched him go, hearing his faint whistle. She sighed and stared at the black ashes.

"It'll be okay," she told herself. "Everything's gonna be okay."

* * *

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been kinda stuck with where the story is heading.

And sorry for this weak chapter. It's one of those filler chapters. Sorry :(


	16. Chapter 16

016.

~TWO MONTH LATER~

"Nice job, kid," Logan praised.

The smoke-filled parking lot disappeared and Hayley sat on the floor of the Danger Room. She was tired, sweaty and panting like a dog for air but despite all that, she felt good. She felt damn good knowing that she finally had her telekinesis under control. Finally.

Without the assistance of Logan, she had successfully taken down ten Sentinels with just her telekinesis. And unlike before, Hayley felt no pain in her head, she didn't collapse during the training session. She was perfectly fine and seeing the small smile on Logan's face made her feel damn good. It wasn't easy to put a smile on Wolfy's face.

"Looks like you got it under control now," he commented, handing her a water bottle. "Proud of you, kid."

"Thanks," she said, inhaling deeply.

They walked out of the Danger Room together, stepping into the elevator. Logan looked down at her. "How you feeling?"

"Pretty damn sweaty. I bet my pits smell. Does your bloodhound nose smell them from here?"

He made a disgusted face. "Be more like a lady, will ya?"

"Oh c'mon, grow up."

"I have. Been for centuries now."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "So what's the schedule for tomorrow?"

"You're with me again. We're playing football."

"Nice."

The elevator doors opened and the two walked off in their separate ways. Hayley walked into her room and sighed.

It had been three months and Rogue had yet to come back or even call. It was as if she had never been in the school. Hayley tried not to be too worried. Rogue was a tough girl who could handle her own but she missed her a lot. She loved Jubilee and the other girls in the house but they weren't Rogue.

Rogue's bed and dresser remained in their spots. Professor Xavier thought it would be best to remove them but Hayley had insisted that they leave everything where it was. Rogue would come back.

Hayley walked over to her side of the room and another sigh escaped her lips. The walls on her side of the room were bare and empty.

Hayley did her best to take John out of her mind and she had done a pretty good job for someone who had gotten her heart ripped out of her body, thrown onto the floor and had a monster truck run over it into a bloody mess. She didn't want to think of him anymore. He obviously didn't care about her and didn't want her to be a part of his life anymore so why should she?

It had been rough but she was perservering. During the time, she tried her best to focus all her pent-up rage to working on her telekinesis. It had been hard but slowly, her telekinesis began approving greatly. Logan had worked hard with her, drilling her, training her and all that had paid off today.

There was a knock on her door. She turned around and saw Jubilee and Gambit standing in front of the doorway. Gambit had his trademark smirk and he made a small salute to her. "Well, you look good, cherie."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "What's up?"

"Gambit and I are gonna go out to a club. I think Warren is gonna come out with us. Wanna come with?" Jubilee asked.

She shrugged. "Oh I don't know."

"C'mon, come out and have fun with us!" Jubilee pouted. "It'll be fun!"

Hayley sighed, chuckling at the same time. She knew that Jubilee would not stop badgering her into going to the club until she said yes. "Alright, what time are we going?"

Jubilee squealed. "We're gonna leave around 10. Get ready and dress to impress!"

She laughed. "Alright, Jubilee."

Jubilee grinned widely. She turned to Gambit and batted her eyelashes. "See you later."

He grinned back. "You know it."

Hayley rolled her eyes, shaking her head in amusement. She threw her towel on her bed and turned to see that Gambit was still resting by the doorway. "Can I help you?" she asked.

His grin never left his face. "Just wonderin if you needed any help. You look tired, petite."

She chuckled. "Thanks but no thanks. I'm fine."

"You sure? Remy's good with his hands."

"Get out!" Hayley yelled with laughter.

Gambit laughed with her and smiled. "It's good to hear you laughin' again cherie. I'll see you later." With a wave of his hand, he walked away.

Ever since the Centerport incident, their friendship had grown. They were no longer strangers who flirted and bickered with one another. They were actually friends- good friends. Hayley couldn't help but grow to adore him, especially after everything he had done for her. He had driven her to Centerport, saved her life on numerous ocassions and had tried many different times to make her smile during her grieving period. She had a new found respect for him. He continued to remain flirtacious and make sexual innuedos but it didn't bother her anymore. They had become good friends now and she felt comfortable enough to trust him though she didn't tell him everything about her life and he was the same.

While he had a friendly, outgoing personality, anytime someone would mention parents, family or home, his mouth remained shut until there was a change in topic. Hayley noticed this on several ocassions. As much as she hated to admit, he reminded her of John. Never talking about his personal life, always closed-off from people. She never pressured him into opening up though. She didn't want to be that kind of person. She just wanted to be a friend.

She grabbed her towel and hopped into the shower. She only had two hours to get dressed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hayley took one last look in the mirror, satisfied with her look for the night. She wore her dark strapless red dress that hugged her body in the right places. Going for a simple look, she applied just eyeliner and mascara. She put on some gold earrings and a necklace. Rogue would be so proud of her for achieving such a look by herself.

She walked down to the garage where Jubilee, Warren and Gambit would be. To her disgust, Kitty and Bobby were there as well, dressed and ready to go. Jubilee looked at her apologetically as she approached them.

"Sorry... we asked Bobby, just Bobby but then Kitty overheard too," Jubilee whispered.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Whatever, it's fine." She wasn't going to let them ruin her night.

"We're taking two cars, by the way," Jubilee said. "Me and Warren are gonna go with Bobby and the bitch so you won't have to deal with her. Lord knows what you'll do to her. You and Gambit will go together." She smiled mischeviously. "That's a new dress, Hayley," she commented.

"Oh please, I didn't wear this to impress him!" she whispered back.

"Alright, ready to go?" Bobby called out, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Jubilee squealed and grabbed Warren's hand, scrambling into the backseat of the car. Kitty merely gave Hayley a sneer before getting into the passenger seat. Hayley rolled her eyes and turned around to find Gambit eyeing her up and down.

"My cherie amor, just when I thought you couldn't look any more beautiful," he said in a low voice.

Hayley felt her face flush and turning red. Gambit chuckled and took her hand, bringing it up to his lips. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yep."

He held the door open for her like a true Southern gentleman. He got into the car and turned on the engine. "Glad that you came out, petite. I need a dancing partner."

"Are you drunk already? You know I can't dance."

Gambit shook his head. "No way, petite. You's a great dancer."

They followed Bobby's car to the club, singing together to the songs that came on the radio. When they arrived at the club, there was a line but Gambit seemed to know the bouncers and got them in rather quickly. Hayley chuckled and looked up at Gambit. "That hypnotic charm must be a blessing," she whispered into his ear.

"You have no idea," he replied back with a wink.

The group managed to get a table and the boys went to get some drinks for the ladies. Jubilee sat in the middle, between Hayley and Kitty. It was an awkward position to be in and Hayley found herself being anxious for Warren and Gambit to come back so she'd have people to talk to.

The boys came back with shots and drinks. Gambit took his seat next to Hayley and handed her her drinks. "Cheers," he said with a smile.

Hayley smiled and clinked glasses together. They took their shots and she started to take a sip from her drink. They watched in amusement as Jubilee and Kitty both dragged the reluctant Warren and Bobby out onto the dance floor. He turned over to Hayley. "Shall we?"

She laughed and nodded. He took her hand and they both went out to the dance floor. She giggled when he pulled her towards him by the waist. She pushed him away with a mischevious grin and started dancing with Jubilee. She laughed when his face fell in shock. He quickly recovered, grabbing her gently by the waist and pulling her towards him.

Hayley cried out in mock terror and reached her hands out to Jubilee. "No! Don't make me dance with him, Jubs!"

Jubilee giggled loudly and winked. "Don't get too frisky now!" She flashed a big grin before taking Warren's hands to dance.

Gambit wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. It seemed as though their bodies were made for each other. They moved so naturally to the rhythm of the music. Pressed up against each other, face to face, legs between one another's. He had a devilish smile as his head nuzzled into the crook of her neck and she giggled, biting her lip back to stop a moan from coming out of her mouth when she felt his hot breath hit her skin. Chills went down her spine and goosebumps were starting to appear on her skin.

A strange feeling washed over her body and she didn't understand what it was that she was feeling. This wasn't their first time dancing together but somehow, this time, it felt different.

She lifted her head up to look at him and saw him staring down at her. There was intensity in his red eyes. The way his eyes roamed over her face, over her body suddenly sent even more chills down her body. The hand on her waist gripped tighter and his other hand removed the loose hair from her face, leaving his hand to cup her cheek.

"Gambit," she started to speak but he put a finger over her mouth. He leaned over to her ear.

"Don't say anything, cherie," he whispered.

Hayley's heart began to race when he moved closer to her face. She closed her eyes.

"Hey!"

Her eyes opened wide and she was ready to blast a fireball at the person who interrupted them. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists when she saw that it was Kitty standing next to them with a smirk on her face. "Mind if I cut in?" she asked.

Kitty was a clever bitch; she knew that Hayley wouldn't pull out her powers in public. Hayley looked at Gambit who opened his mouth to speak. "Well, Kitty Cat, I was still in the middle of dancing with-,"

"No, it's fine," Hayley interrupted him. She forced a smile on her face for him. "I'll be waiting at the table."

Without waiting for a response, she quickly pushed her way out of the crowd and back to the table. She was pissed that Kitty would interrupt them but then she caught herself. Why was she feeling this way?

Her eyes roamed over to the dancing Kitty and Gambit. She had to laugh at the scene before her. Kitty was trying a bit too hard to impress him with her dancing skills and by the look on her face, she thought she was doing a good job. However, Gambit's face told a different story- he seemed terrified of Kitty's dancing and looked as though he was trying to find a way out.

She chuckled again, her eyes transfixed on Gambit and him alone. Their eyes met.

"Oh my God.." she said slowly as she realized why tonight was a different night than the rest.

She liked him.

She _liked_ Gambit.

"Hey, what are you doing here by yourself?"

Hayley turned around to see Bobby heading over with a beer in hand. "Needed a break from dancing," she said.

Bobby chuckled. "Yeah.. me too." He sat close to her, taking a sip of his beer. He cleared his throat and looked over at her. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?" Hayley asked, confused at his sudden apology.

"With Rogue."

"Oh." Hayley felt awkward to be discussing about her at a night club out of all places.

Bobby sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "I fucked up. I know I did. I know nothing I do now will ever make up for it. But I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. If Rogue were here-,"

"Apologizing to Rogue won't make her love you again. You fucked up." Hayley couldn't help but say those words. She knew that he was being genuine and sincere in his apology but she still harbored ill feelings towards him and the whole situation.

"I know. I fucked up and lost the best thing in the world," he sighed. "I like Kitty but she's not Rogue."

"Then why be with her?" she asked. "Why be with Kitty? Because you can touch her?"

Bobby sighed. "Hayley, I'm a guy-,"

"That's bullshit. Don't give me that fucking excuse that you're a guy and you have urges that Rogue couldn't help you with," she spat.

He looked away from her accusing stare, ashamed. After a few minutes, he looked back at her. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can say or do... but please know that I am truly sorry for what I did."

Hayley didn't know what to say. She wanted to punch him for giving an apology months late but she couldn't bring herself to do so. He was truly remorseful of his actions.

"Bobby.. I don't know. Saying sorry isn't going to change things. Saying sorry isn't going to bring her back."

"I know. But I wanted to say it anyway."

She gave him a soft smile. "You should go back on the floor and dance."

"What about you?"

"I'm fine here."

"Hayley!"

Hayley looked up and saw Gambit walking quickly her way. Bobby smiled and left the table, walking back into the dance floor. She was caught off guard when he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat. "Where are we going?" she asked loudly.

Gambit looked at her and grinned. "How about we just get outta here and go somewhere else? Just the two of us? Remy's a little tired of dancing now."

"Tired of dancing or wanting to run away from Kitty Cat?" Hayley laughed.

"Little bit of both. So what do you say? Wanna get on outta here, cherie?"

Hayley found herself hesitating. Now that she knew of her feelings, she was scared to be alone with him now. Her heart was racing and her mouth was dry. "Um..."

"I promise I ain't gon do anything you don't want me to do. You should know that by now, petite."

She looked up at him and he almost had a sad look on his face. She felt bad. He was right. He wouldn't do anything to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Alright," she finally said. "Let's go."

* * *

Sorry for the lack of updates- been busy with school since finals week is near. :(  
And again, thanks for the reviews and favoriting this story. I really truly appreciate it!


	17. Chapter 17

I truly apologize for the lack of updates! I didn't have Internet for my laptop during my winter break. Much apologies. Hope everyone had a very lovely holiday season!

* * *

017.

"Where are we going?" Hayley asked for the millionth time.

"Somewhere nice." Gambit looked over her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Remy is gon keep you safe."

Hayley nodded and smiled back at him. "You better or else I'll kick your ass."

He laughed. "I don't doubt it."

Escaping the club scene and Kitty Pryde, they continued their drive, talking about the club and other things that came into their minds. A song that they both knew would come on ocassionally and they would sing it together. Hayley, however, sang softer than she normally would. She hated being so nervous. The car made an exit from the freeway. He made a right and drove into some sort of park.

Hayley looked out the window, raising an eyebrow. She was a bit confused and looked at him again. "A park?" she asked.

"This is a place that I like to go to sometimes."

"How'd you find out about this place?"

He smirked. "I drive around at night."

Hayley laughed. "So do you take the girls to this special place?"

Gambit chuckled softly. "No, joli. You're the first one."

He parked a car under a tree. Hayley stepped outside, feeling the cold breeze. She shivered slightly. It was cold, dark and a little creepy.

"You cold, cherie?" Without waiting for a response, Gambit threw his brown jacket over her shoulders. She thanked him, slipping her arms through the sleeves. She snapped her fingers and a small fireball appeared between her fingers, giving them some light. Gambit smiled. She looked up at him and grinned. "Lead the way."

He threw an arm around her and led her to his special spot. He held her free hand as they walked up a small hill, something that seemed a bit difficult for Hayley since she was in heels. Gambit told her to put the fire out and to take both his hands. She complied and nearly tripped over her own feet, falling into his arms.

"For a Level Five mutant, you sure are clumsy," he teased.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"And here we are," Gambit said, presenting the top of the hill for her to see.

Hayley could see why it was so special. The top of the hill gave an incredible view of the city with its lights shining brightly. It literally took her breath away. She always forgot that there was life outside of the mansion. She smiled at the sight. "I wish I had my camera," she said softly. She turned around to find Gambit sitting down on the grass. He patted the patch of grass next to him. She grinned and plopped down next to him, kicking off her heels.

"Do you come here every night?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nah, just when I need to think."

Hayley laughed. "Gambit, thinking? Wow, that's something new," she teased.

"Very funny, petite," Gambit said, laughing. "Remy has a brain too, you know."

"So what does the great Gambit think about?" Hayley asked, looking up at the stars.

"You know, what everyone thinks about. The past, the future, what to eat for dinner, old flames," he listed off.

"Like, old loves?" she asked, a little stunned.

Gambit looked at her, raising an eyebrow at her tone of voice. "What, you don't think about your old love?"

Hayley was taken aback at his response. She looked down at the grass, pulling some out of its roots. She didn't want to be reminded of John at that moment. "No, I didn't- I'm sorry, I was just.. curious-,"

"Hey." His hand covered her own. "I'm sorry, Remy didn't mean it to come out like that."

She smiled softly at him. "It's okay.. I'm sorry for.. intruding."

"How are you doing with that anyway? If you don't mind me asking," Gambit asked.

Hayley noticed that his hand hadn't left hers. "I'm doing okay," she answered. "Better than I thought I would."

"Still think about him?"

"Sometimes," Hayley admitted. She ripped a few more pieces of grass.

Gambit took her other hand to prevent her from pulling out the grass. He laughed. "It's alright to think of him. It ain't easy to forget about someone that you really care about." He sighed, looking out at the city lights. "It happens to all of us."

Hayley was curious. "Even you?" she asked softly.

She saw his shoulders tense up and he hesitated. There was a long awkward pause between them. She cleared her throat. "You don't have to answer that if it's too personal. I don't mean to pressure you."

He laughed loudly and patted her hand. "No worries, joli. You've told me some stuff... it would be wrong of me not to share with you. Yeah, even I think about someone that I cared about. Long time ago."

Hayley smiled at the thought of mischevious, sneaky, womanizing Gambit being in love with someone. It was sweet. "Where'd you meet this girl?"

He let out a sad chuckle. Letting out a sigh, he turned his head away from her and cleared his throat. "Well cherie, I met this girl when I was about eight years old," he started to talk. "Her name was Bella Donna Bouredeaux. She was a gorgeous femme and was like me in a way. Loner, walking on the wild side," he sighed happily.

"What we didn't know was that we were a part of two different worlds. Where I'm from, the gangs roamed the streets. There were two in particular, two rival gangs. I was part of the Thieves' Guild and she was a part of the Assasin's.

"It's a bit weird and to this day, I don't know where this came from but folks thought I was some sorta prophet, that I'd bring the two gangs together."

"A prophet?" Hayley asked with her eyes wide.

Gambit nodded then shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know where they got the idea from.

"Anyway, the leaders of the gangs, you know, thought the best way to unite the guilds was to marry me and Bella Donna-,"

Hayley narrowed her eyes, feeling a bit jealous.

"And I thought it'd work... I was happy, petite." He sighed. "She and I had some good times together... couldn't be separated. She wasn't a mutant like me but she wasn't judgmental. We were happy together..

"Her brother, Julien, didn't like me. He never liked me, jealous of the attention and the prophecy that people thought of me. He was a coward and tried to make a cheap shot at me. Called me out to a fight and of course, Remy gotta accept. He doesn't say no to a challenge."

Hayley looked at him. She saw something different in his eyes. There was anger, bitterness, intensity... and sadness in his eyes. For once, he was putting down the front that he always had on. He was transforming into a human being showing emotions. Real emotions.

"I ended up killin' him, petite," Gambit confessed. "I won the fight and ended up being exiled from the Guild. Had to end things with Bella Donna. I had to pack my things and go."

Hayley felt terrible and sorry for Gambit. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

He chuckled and shrugged. "Nah, it's okay." She removed her head from his shoulder as he turned his body to face her. "That happened a long time ago, no need to go back to the past."

"Have you ever tried to contact her?" she asked softly.

He let out a weak laugh. "Can't get in contact with the dead, Hayley."

She gasped softly and immediately wanted to slap herself in the face for such a reaction. "Gambit.. I'm really sorry.."

"Again, it's alright." He averted his attention to the view again. "Found out from a good friend from the inside. Car accident." He fell silent, humming softly.

Hayley used the silence to take in the story of his life. His story made hers seem so insignificant. Here Hayley was, complaining and being sad about her own problems when Gambit had been through so much more. At least John was alive.

It was a bit overwhelming to know that behind the flirtacious, happy smile, there was a dark, sad tale that he kept hidden in his heart. It had been easy to overlook the fact that Gambit was a human being who had feelings and stories to tell due to his mischevious ways. He had never let his guard down- always had a arrogant front to him, never sharing what was really on his mind and in his heart. She couldn't blame him though. It was a tragic love story that she wouldn't want to share to people either.

"So what about you? How'd you meet your ex-beau?" Gambit asked, turning to her.

Hayley smiled sadly. "Met at the school. He was the new kid, really shy and loner-ish. Typical angsty kid." She laughed loudly at the memory of the 15 year old John Allerdyce. "Bobby, Rogue and I befriended him though it took a long time for him to really trust us.

"Eventually he opened up a little bit. I don't know why but he chose me to be his partner in crime. We got into a whole lot of shit in school. Which is the reason why Storm doesn't like the fact that I'm a TA."

Gambit laughed.

"We just connected right away... both came from bad places, had bad childhoods... we just worked out. He was the one person that I could turn to, the one person that told it to me straight. He was the only one that I trusted." She chuckled bitterly. "Well I was definitely wrong."

"No shame, joli." He smiled at her and laid down on his back. "Truthfully, he's a fool to give you up."

Hayley blushed. "Thanks." She jumped a little when she felt something touch her back but realized it was just his hand. She relaxed, letting his hand rub her back gently.

They sat in silence for a good while, just enjoying each other's company. Hayley drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them. She closed her eyes as Gambit started to hum a slow song, his hand still rubbing her back gently. She smiled when he paused.

"Thanks for telling me your story, Hayley."

Hayley turned around to look down at him and smiled, nodding her head. "And thanks for telling me your story, Gambit."

He grinned, getting up and leaning on his elbow. He reached over and grabbed Hayley's arm, pulling her down to the grass. She stumbled onto the grass, laughing while doing so. Gambit laughed at her clumsiness and she laid on the grass on her side, facing him.

Hair fell to the front of her face and she reached to get it out of her face but Gambit beat her to it. He played with the loose hair, tucking it behind her ear. His hand gently carressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, enjoying his touch.

"You can call me Remy."

Hayley opened her eyes. "What?" she said.

"You can call me Remy now," he said again.

She smiled, remembering the first time when she had called him by his real name, he had instructed her to call him Gambit instead. Hayley was going to take it as a sign of trust from him. "Okay."

He smiled back at her, moving his body closer to her. Her heart began to race when he leaned on his elbow. There was something behind his smile. There was purpose and Hayley was nervous about his purpose.

"You mind if I do somethin', beautiful?" he asked softly.

"Depends," she said. It came out as a whisper.

Gambit- Remy chuckled. "You nervous or somethin'?"

"Maybe," she lied.

He grinned. "Don't be nervous. You have nothing to be nervous about." His thumb caressed her cheek, moving down to her lips. "Would it be alright to kiss you?"

"What? Why?"

Remy laughed. "Why you nervous? It ain't like this is our first kiss."

"But why.. why do you-,"

Remy sighed and sat up. Hayley followed in suit, waiting for his answer to her question.

"You drive me crazy, cherie," Remy said with a grin. "I've had you on my mind since the first night we met, when you tricked me into coming here with you." He laughed. "You ain't like any other femme that I've met. Most throw themselves at me whether they had a boyfriend or not, but you.. you're different." He touched her face gently. "I like that."

Hayley felt her face turning red and he smirked again, knowing that she was blushing hard despite them being in the dark. "Oh." She started ripping the grass out; it helped her nerves. "So am I just going to be another name to put on your list of victories?"

"You still think of me like that?"

"Can you blame me?"

"I thought after all that we've been through, you'd think different of me, cherie."

Hayley sighed when he turned away from her, lying on his back again. He was right. It was wrong of her to think that he was still a womanizer when he had proven time and time again that there was more to him that meets the eye. She placed a hand on his chest to grab his attention. "I'm sorry Remy. You're right."

Remy's head turned to her and he smiled. "I know I'm right. You don't trust me?"

"I do.." she trailed off. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"Of me, beb?"

She didn't answer. She didn't have to.

His grin grew even bigger. "If you don't want to, lemme know right now, petite."

Hayley laughed awkwardly but she didn't say anything. He grinned and leaned on his side, drawing closer to her face.

Her cell phone rang loudly, interrupting their moment. Hayley hissed, muttering profanities. Remy laughed and looked back at the view as Hayley stood up to take the call. She scowled and wondered what she had done to deserve all the cockblocks today. "Jubilee, what's up?" she said with no enthusiasm in her voice.

"Where are you and Gambit?! You guys just completely disappeared!" Jubilee's shrill voice cut through the quiet hill.

"We went somewhere. Are you guys going back to school?"

"Yeah, we're about to go. Where did you two go?" she asked, the last question sounding a bit sly and curious.

"Somewhere."

"Are you guys doing it?"

"Jubilee! No!" Hayley shouted, horrified that she would make that sort of assumption.

Jubilee giggled. "Well spill the details later! I'll see you tomorrow morning, I think." Before Hayley could yell at her some more, Jubilee hung up.

Hayley turned around and saw Remy sitting up. "I think we should get back. The others are heading back home."

Remy nodded, getting up from his spot. Hayley picked up her heels from the ground and when she turned around, she found Remy right behind her. With one swift motion, he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her.

Hayley was completely unready for this but she put her arms around his neck, running a hand through his hair. His kiss was deep and gentle, aggressive but soft. A thousand emotions- good emotions ran wild through her body. She felt his arms wrap tighter around her waist as his tongue ran across her lips. She parted her mouth for him and he slipped his tongue in. She slipped out a soft moan and he smirked through his kiss.

They pulled away slowly, both breathless. Hayley looked down at the grass, unsure of what to do. He lifted her head up with his hand and leaned forward for a short kiss. A smile formed on her face and it grew bigger when she saw a smile on his face as well.

"C'mon cherie, better head back home." With a kiss on the cheek, he held her hand and walked down the hill together.

* * *

I know, I know._FINALLY. _Thanks again for the reviews and all the love. I really appreciate every single one of you. :)


	18. Chapter 18

018.

Jubilee clasped her hands over her mouth to confine the squeals and giggles from her mouth. Hayley smacked her over the head with a pillow in an effort to silence her. As Jubilee covered herself with the blanket, face red from holding in her laughter, Hayley glanced over at her closed door, paranoid that someone would come rushing into her room. That someone being Remy.

"And then?!" she hissed.

Hayley took another glance at the door and put her head closer to Jubilee. "Then he helped me down the hill and got into the car."

"And then?!"

"Then, we just talked and sang along to the radio."

"And then?!"

"Then what more do you want?"

Jubilee groaned. "And did anything else happened? You know..." she winked.

Hayley gasped and smacked her again with the pillow. "No, that did not happen!" she shrieked, laughing.

Jubilee looked disappointed. "So then what happened?"

"We got home, said good night and that's that." Hayley laughed at her disappointment grow even more. "I'm sorry that I don't have a juicy story! I'm not you."

Jubilee rolled her eyes but giggled. "I can't believe it.. you and Gambit!" She gave her a sly look. "I knew there was something going on between you two."

"What?"

"Oh c'mon! You and Gambit are always flirt-fighting. He annoys you, you insult him, he annoys you some more, you insult him back even more." Jubilee threw off the covers and grinned. "You two were made for each other."

"Okay let's not go that far," Hayley said with a sigh. "I mean, it was just a kiss."

Jubilee groaned. "C'mon! He told you that he was crazy about you!"

"Correction. He told me that I drive him crazy. That's not exactly the same thing."

The small Asian girl rolled her eyes. "Pfft! Please! He's crazy about you!"

Hayley chuckled but shook her head. "Oh I don't know."

"Do you like him?" When Hayley nodded, Jubilee continued. "Then what's the problem?"

She sighed. "I don't know.."

"It's not because of John, is it?"

"Oh God no," Hayley shuddered.

"Then what is it?"

Hayley sighed and looked out the window. "Remy... he just makes me feel so different. Like.. I feel good about myself around him and maybe it's cause he's always making those stupid compliments.. but it's more than that."

"You feel loved? Safe?"

She shook her head. "God, I don't know. I feel all those things but it's just so different with Remy. So much more."

"Damn he must be one hell of a kisser!" Jubilee sighed.

"Oh God.." Hayley giggled. She drew her knees up to her chest.

Jubilee patted her arm, grinning from ear to ear. "Hayley, I've never seen you so happy ever since I've been here. Obviously that counts for something with Gambit, doesn't it? Hell, even John couldn't make you smile that wide."

Hayley had to admit- her cheeks were ready to explode from all the smiling she had done since last night. She rubbed her cheeks but couldn't stop smiling. "Yeah..."

"I'm pretty sure he's thinking the same way about you, Hayls." Jubilee looked at the clock by her dresser and leaped up from the bed. "Oh shit! We're gonna be late for the meeting!"

"I'll catch up with you later," said Hayley. She rolled her eyes when Jubilee gave her a sly smile and winked before she left.

Hayley sighed and laid down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Last night had seemed like such a blur. It seemed so surreal, she almost didn't believe it had actually happened. Last night had seemed so magical, if she wanted to put in girly terms. Never had she thought she'd be able to really open up to someone like how she used to with John. Never had she thought she'd find someone that she'd be able to connect to since John. She never thought that she would fall for a guy like Gambit.. Remy LeBeau.

Hayley tried not to let the girly side get the best of her but she couldn't help herself. She was excited and scared at the mere thought of Remy quite possibly having some sort of interest in her. She had always thought he said those flirtacious things, did sweet things just to bother her but now, he had confessed that she "drove him crazy." She couldn't help but smile brightly at the words he had said to her last night. What girl wouldn't smile?

Still, she had her doubts about him, about herself, about them. And she felt bad especially since she had told Remy just last night that it was wrong of her to judge him. But this was Hayley- always thinking of the worst possible outcomes in the situations. Remy LeBeau was one of the most beautiful men to ever grace the Earth in her opinion. All the women flocked to him- women who were much prettier than she. How could Hayley compete with that?

Remy flashed that smile at any girl that walked around who batted their eyelashes towards him. He prowled and pounced on any woman who flaunted their assets onto him. He was wild and free, something that was a blessing and a curse. Hayley wasn't exactly sure if she'd be able to tame him of his wild ways. He was different, carefree and mysterious. He was the master of seduction.

And Hayley wasn't sure if she was ready to fall for him just quite yet.

She knew that Storm would be pissed if she was late to the meeting. She walked out of the room and down to the professor's office. She opened the door to find Xavier and the other teachers and to her surprise, she saw Remy leaning against the bookshelf. His eyes flashed brightly when he saw her coming in and gave her a slight nod. She gave him an awkward smile and took a seat in an empty chair.

"Nice of you to join us, kid," Logan muttered. Hayley rolled her eyes. "Let's get this meeting started."

Professor Xavier cleared his throat and went over the list of things that he wanted to get done. Most of them were about the classes and the schedules, the circulum, what the teachers and TA's should go over and so on. Hayley's eyes grew heavy. She wasn't exactly a big fan of these meetings.

Storm cleared her throat, shooting a death glare at Hayley for falling asleep. "I'd like to discuss the spring dance."

Almost everyone groaned but immediately stopped when Storm sent another death glare at them. She cleared her throat once again. "Now I'd like everyone to get involve with this. Everyone will be keeping their eyes on the kids during the dance. But we also have to discuss decorations, food, shopping trips for the students."

No one spoke up, avoiding any sort of eye contact with Storm. Warren made the mistake of clearing his throat and was automatically picked to help out with the shopping trips. Hayley snickered under her breath.

"I think Hayley wants to volunteer for that as well," Logan announced loudly, giving her an amused look when Hayley's jaw dropped. He knew perfectly well that Hayley hated shopping with large groups of people.

"Thanks a lot, pup," she muttered.

Along with Hayley and Warren, Bobby and Kitty were chosen to accompany the students to the shopping mall for them to buy new clothes with Storm. Piotr, Logan, Hank McCoy and Jubilee were in charge of the food and decorations. Remy had been chosen to be her co-coordinator, helping out with anything Storm needed help in. Hayley rolled her eyes and chuckled under her breath- she knew why Storm had chosen Remy out of all people. She caught his eye and he gave her a small smirk.

When the dance plans were set aside, Xavier cleared his throat. He wheeled his chair out from behind the desk and came before them. His face looked grim and for the first time, Hayley saw a hint of fear in his eyes. She immediately had chills go down her spine. Xavier never looked fearful, even in the darkest of times for mutants.

"I have some news about Erik," he simply said.

Hayley looked at the rest of the people around her. Only Remy stood with no reaction. Everyone else looked shocked with their jaws dropped. Logan was the only one with his hands clenched into fists. His eyes narrowed at the name.

Erik Lensher, or Magneto as everyone else knew him as, was the world's number one enemy, for humans and mutants alike. And what was strange about this whole situation was that him and Xavier had once been the best of friends. They had founded the school together but both had different opinions when it came to humans. Xavier wanted to unite the world while Magneto wanted to obliterate anyone who didn't have special powers.

But Xavier had won the war when Magneto was injected with the Cure that had wiped away all of Magneto's power. As far as he was concerned, Magneto was now living in the suburbs, doing daily human things and taking walks around the park. He had become what he hated the most. A human being.

But now with the look on Xavier's face, Hayley wasn't so sure if they had won the good fight.

Xavier pressed his fingers together and looked at each of them. "It seems as though the Cure was not as effective as its creators thought," he announced. "The Cure has only a temporary effect on mutants and many of the mutants that have taken this, all the ones that we faced Alcatraz have slowly regained their powers."

Everyone but Remy let out a gasp.

"I have no doubt in my mind that once Erik gets his powers back, he will start recruiting his old Brotherhood members," Xavier said grimly. "So we must be ready for their return. I'll keep track of him and the others daily. But I just thought it would be wise to tell you all ahead of time, to keep you all prepared for whatever may happen." His eyes fell upon Hayley at the last sentence.

Her body trembled slightly. She knew he had looked at her because of John. Magneto would go find John; he had been a favorite of his. She knew Xavier had looked at her, to let her know to be ready if they had to fight Magneto, fight John again like they had the last time.

Xavier called the meeting to an end and everyone walked out, trying to force happy smiles on their faces so the kids wouldn't ask questions. Hayley was the last one to leave the room but Xavier called her back. He waited till everyone left and Hayley shut the door, standing before him. "Yes, Professor?"

"How are you feeling? Logan tells me that your powers have come back to you and have expanded," Xavier said with a smile.

Hayley grinned back. "It sure has, Professor."

He sighed and looked at her. "I know it has been a rough few months for you and this news must be hard.. but I'm sure you know that Erik will try and find John to get him over into the Brotherhood." He paused. "And I want you to let me know if you don't feel comfortable if anything were to come up."

She nodded. "Thank you Professor."

He nodded over to the door. "You may go now."

Hayley walked out of the room, letting out a shaky breath. She turned from the office to find Remy leaning against the wall. A small smile formed on her face when she saw him and he pushed off from the wall to walk over to her. "Cherie, how you doin'?" he asked.

"Doing well," she answered. "What are you doing out here?"

Remy shrugged but had a smile on his face. "I thought maybe you'd like to take a walk out to the backyard with Remy. If you ain't busy."

Hayley smiled. "I'm not. I'd like to."

They walked down the stairs together and out to the backyard. It was a nice, warm day and many of the kids were outside, playing games. Piotr waved hello to them as they walked past, returning the greeting. Many of the younger girls stopped to giggle and point at Remy who kept his attention on Hayley.

"So who's this Erik guy and why are you all scared of him?" Remy asked.

Hayley sighed. "Well, he's our enemy... he goes by the name of Magneto. He controls metal and is a level four mutant."

Remy sat down under the tree and she followed suit. "So, what's his problem?"

"He and the professor used to be friends. Best friends. They made this school together but they had different ideas about how they should run the school, their views about humans. See, Professor wanted to protect humans and get them to understand us but Magneto hates humans and wanted to destroy them." Hayley looked at Remy with a sad smile. "So now they're enemies and Magneto will kill anyone that gets in the way of his plan."

Remy pursed his lips, looking incredibly serious. "So you've fought him before?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We've had a few encounters."

They sat silently together, watching the kids play their game of football. Hayley wanted to bring up last night, she wanted to know what was going to happen now but didn't know where to start. She hoped that he would somehow start the conversation.

"So this Magneto guy had some sort of gang?"

She chuckled. "I guess you can say that."

"Why'd the professor want to see you separately, joli?"

"Cause John was once a part of his gang."

"You serious?!" Remy let out a low whistle. "Firebreather was a part of this Magneto's gang? How'd that happen?"

Hayley sighed. "Well, a few years ago there was a man named Stryker who tried to take over the school. He kidnapped some of our kids. The rest of us managed to escape either with Piotr or Logan. John, Bobby, Rogue and I had left with Logan.

"The professor uses this thing called Cerebro- a machine that him and Magneto built to keep an eye on the mutants. Well, Stryker was building a machine of his own and needed the professor to work the machine. They were hiding out in Alkali Lake. We got there but we were only kids at the time- we stayed on the plane."

Hayley cleared her throat, trying to mentally prepare herself for the next part of the story.

"I don't know why but John just didn't want to be on the plane. I don't know- guess he was just going through some stuff in his head. He just left... and then we found out he joined Magneto."

Remy shook his head. "Firebreather is out of mind."

She smiled. "I guess so. We lost touch over the years but Xavier kept his eye on him." She sighed. "It was a hard time for me.. knowing that he was on the other side and knowing that we'd have to meet each other and fight each other." She picked at the grass in front of her.

Remy laughed. "Do you always do that when you get nervous, petite?"

"I suppose." She let out a small laugh.

"So how'd you and Firebreather end up back together?" he asked.

Hayley sighed. "Well it took a while. Remember the whole Cure issue?" When Remy nodded, she continued the story. "Magneto wasn't for the Cure at all. He and his Brotherhood went to Alcatraz to destroy it. We went to fight them." She looked back at the grass. "One of the hardest fights I had to fight.

"I didn't want to.. not with John, at least. I tried convincing him to come back with us but he wouldn't. He wanted me to fight him- he wasn't the same John that I knew. It was as if Magneto had brainwashed him to this completely different person.. a hateful person that wanted to kill anything that came his way.

"It was terrifying. I thought he'd kill me and I'm sure he would've if Warren hadn't gotten involved." She looked up at Remy who looked like he wanted to kill someone himself. She patted his hand reassuringly. "I didn't fight him. He tried to rough me up a bit and -,"

"Wait a minute. He touched you?" he snarled. His red eyes lit up with anger.

"Remy-,"

"Just answer the question, cherie."

"Yes."

She sighed and shook her head. "You don't understand." She turned away from him. "I thought if he saw me, he wouldn't fight and that he'd snap back to reality. But he didn't and so I had to fight him in the end-,"

Remy grabbed her face and held it up so they'd be able to look at each other. "Wait, so he hit you? He touched you?"

"A little bit but-,"

"What the fuck were you thinking? So you let him hit you? Why would you do that, joli?"

Hayley pushed his hands away, glaring at him before she closed her eyes. She held her breath, trying to calm herself down as the memories of John throwing the first punch came to her mind. Her heart pained when she saw herself having to fight back, throwing her own fury of fists, using her abilities to get John off of her.

She reopened her eyes and glared at him again. "Get your ears checked, Cajun. He threw the first punch out of nowhere and I fought back, okay? I didn't want to but I did."

"You should've blasted his fucking ass to a crisp, joli," he growled.

"You can't fight the one you love."

He snorted. "Tell that to Firebreather."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what? Forget it. I'm going back to my room." She got up but Remy grabbed her hand and looked up at her with an apologetic look.

"Petite, Remy's sorry," he said softly. "But the thought of that fucking bastard touching you makes Remy sick to his stomach." He pulled on her hand. "Sit."

Hayley sat back down, understanding that he was only feeling protective of her.

"So what, Firebreather came back to the school and now you two got back together?" he asked.

She nodded. "Came back and apologized for everything. And.. we took him back. I took him back."

"Took him back after everything he did to you," he said out loud, rolling his eyes.

Hayley narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything to him. "It wasn't easy to trust him again if that makes you feel better about my story."

"Joli, he seems like a loser to me," Remy commented.

Hayley glared at him. He caught sight of her face expression and rolled his eyes, raising his hands up. "Alright, sorry," he apologized though he didn't sound like he meant it.

She sighed. "But you're not."

Remy shrugged. "I'm not. I'm sorry that I'm not sorry about your relationship." He looked back at the football game and then back at Hayley. "Cherie, you deserve better than someone who'll even think of putting their hands on you."

"It wasn't-,"

"Baby, he hit you. I don't give a shit if he was brainwashed in the head. I don't even care that you fought back. He hit you, he fucking hit you and joli, no woman deserves a beating," Remy said. "Look at the way he treated you back at Centerport."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So why did you want to take a walk out here with me?" she asked, changing the subject hastily.

Remy chuckled. "Well, I was gonna talk to you about.. last night," he said slowly, watching her carefully. "But after this conversation, I don't know if it's the right time, cheri."

"What are you talking about?"

He smiled. It was a sad smile and it scared Hayley. "Well cherie, you still hung up over Firebreather. And I don't want to be no rebound guy."

Hayley repositioned herself to face him. She wanted him to know her real feelings. Staring at him straight in the eyes and mustering up all the confidence she had within her, she spoke up again. "I'm over him, Remy. I really am."

He chuckled. "So. Last night."

"What about it?"

"What'd you think, cherie?"

Hayley laughed nervously. "It was.. you know, nice," she spit out.

"That's it?"

"Well, what do you want me to say? I'm not good at these things," she pouted.

Remy threw an arm around her and brought her close to his body, laughing as he did so. He made a surprise move and laid down on the grass, pulling her down with him. She giggled nervously and rested her head on his shoulder, hand draped lazily over his stomach. Her eyes stared up at the clouds as she heard him speak.

"I want you to admit, petite that I, Remy LeBeau, is the best kisser in the world," he started off but started gasping for air when Hayley hit him in the stomach. "And... that you feel the same way for Remy as Remy does for you."

She lifted her head from off his shoulders to look at him. He stared at her right back with such intensity and passion in his eyes. Their fingers entwined with one anothers and she smiled.

"You, Remy LeBeau, Gambit, the Ragin' Cajun, the man wanted for stealing many, many hearts," she winked at him flirtaciously, "You sir, are the best kisser in the entire world and no other lips could ever match up to yours."

"Damn straight, petite. And what else?"

This time, Hayley hesitated. "Remy..."

"Hm?"

"I-," she paused, nervous as hell. "I feel the same."

Remy's grin grew wider and he sat up. She sat up with him and looked down at the grass. She had an urge to pull at them again but her hands were captured by his.

"Now we're getting somewhere, joli."

"But-,"

Remy's grin fell.

"I don't know." She sighed. "I just don't know if this is.. the right time."

"What's not right?"

She sighed again. "I really like you, Remy. Honestly, I really do. You can go ask Jubilee or something. You make me feel so.. alive and free. I haven't felt this way in such a long time. And it scares me."

He chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. She could feel that very spot getting warm and she knew that her face would be looking like a tomato in a matter of seconds.

"What's life without risks, petite? This is scarin' me too but it's a chance I'm willing to take with you."

"But.. why? You know you could do better."

He raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"I mean, you're Remy LeBeau, the man who can get any girl that he wants. And I'm sure there are better girls out there. So why me?"

He leaned forward to kiss her other cheek. "Petite, if there were anyone better than you, I wouldn't be here right now. You're the one for me. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Hayley smiled and looked down at the grass again, a little embarrassed.

"Ahem."

The two looked up to the direction of the sound and saw Logan standing there, arms crossed with a disgruntled look on his face. "Put your damn hormones away. Dinner's about to be ready and we need everyone's help."

She rolled her eyes. Remy got up first and helped her up to her feet. He let go of her hands after a small squeeze. "See you inside, cherie," he said with a wink. He gave a nod to Logan who didn't return the greeting.

"Logan-,"

"You really like Gumbo, don't you?"

She looked at him straight in the eye. "I do," she answered with confidence. "I really do, Logan." She paused. "I hope this is okay with you." She always did things on her own terms but with Logan, it was different. He had done a lot for her when she first arrived at the school that she felt she needed to do certain things to please him, to make him proud.

Logan let out a disgruntled noise but sighed. "Kid," he said, patting her shoulder, "Ever since we brought Cajun here, you've been glowing like hell. I've never seen you so.. happy before. If Cajun's making you this happy and less annoying, then of course it's going to be okay with me. But if he hurts you, I'm gonna take his head off, got it?"

Hayley laughed and threw her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her, chuckling. "I wouldn't expect anything less if Gambit hurts me." She looked up at him. "Thanks, pup."

"Now you really gotta quit it with that nickname."

"But I love it!" she sighed happily. She paused, remembering what he had said. "And what do you mean 'annoying'?! How am I annoying?"

"Example number one, kid- that fucking nickname."

"So what do you prefer, pup or Wolfy?"

Logan rolled his eyes and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

* * *

I am terribly sorry for taking so long to update. I've had writer's block and a busy schedule filled with school and birthdays. Hopefully I can get this ball rolling again.

But thank you very much for your kind words in reviews, favorite story alerts, etc. etc. You are the best.


	19. Chapter 19

019.

"ALRIGHT KIDS, LET'S GET ON THE BUS. NOW!"

It was one of those days where the kids were able to get out of the school and off into the real world. Because it was one of those days, the kids were not paying attention to any of the orders given out by the teachers and . They were all buzzing with excitement. They raced around the lawn, giggling and squealing about venturing off into the city and what they were going to buy for the dance.

Another defeaning yell by Logan got the students' attention. One look at Logan's tired and annoyed face had them racing onto the bus. Hayley stood next to the door, counting off the kids. She smiled when she saw Logan approaching her, a disgruntled look on his face. This was his two least favorite things- shopping and kids.

"Ready to spend hours with these rascals?" Hayley teased.

He growled. "Yeah yeah. Are you ready?"

"Ready for anything, Logan."

"Where's Storm at?" Warren asked.

"No idea," Bobby said, looking at his watch. "We're running behind which isn't exactly Storm behavior."

"Sorry to be late, everyone. Had some things to work out."

Remy came running out with a grin on his face. He put on his fedora and clasped his hands together. "So. Are we all ready to go?"

"Where's Storm?" Bobby asked, a hard look on his face. He obviously was not hiding his true feelings about Remy being there.

"Stormy's a little busy with the decorations so she sent Remy to go on this little field trips. Besides, Remy's gotta do a little shoppin' too." He looked over at Hayley and winked.

Kitty stepped forward, attempting to divert Remy's attention away from Hayley. "I'd be more than happy to help you shop, Remy."

"Thanks Pussycat," Remy said dryly, uninterested in her offer, "but I think we should be helpin' the kids find their clothes. And you don't get to call me Remy."

Hayley bit down on her tongue and forced herself to look away at the shocked look on Kitty's face after getting rejected by Remy.

"Alright, let's get on the bus and get the hell outta here."

Logan's eyes narrowed when he saw Remy. He walked swiftly over. "What are you doing here, Cajun?"

"I'm leadin' this little field trip. Storm got caught up with other things." With a pat on Logan's shoulders, Remy walked past him and followed the other teachers onto the bus.

Logan grumbled. Hayley giggled and pinched him in the arm. "Relax, Logan. It's just a field trip. What do you think is going to happen?"

"Just cause that Cajun's your boyfriend now doesn't mean I think he's fit to be a leader."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Just get on inside and help with the decorations, will ya pup? Everything will be fine."

Logan glared at her but walked away. She watched him go inside, giggling at how peeved he seemed about Remy coming along on the field trip.

"Ah, petite? We gotta get going so if you could get yourself in this bus and in the seat next to Remy, that would be great."

She turned around to see Remy leaning out of the bus door. With a shy smile, she hurried to the bus.

Warren started up the engine and the bus started pulling out of the driveway and into the streets. Hayley made her way to the back, passing by Kitty's death stares. The students were giggling and talking to each other, all of them excited for the dance. She smiled at each one of them but her biggest smile was for the Cajun man seated in the very last seat.

"About time you made it back here, cherie," he said with a sly grin.

Hayley giggled, sitting down next to him. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach.

Hayley and Remy hadn't been able to spend too much time together. Their schedules were suddenly packed, thanks to the dance that was coming up tomorrow, their trainings in the Danger Room and their T.A schedules. There was time after the day was over and the kids were in bed but they would be too tired to even speak with one another.

Today would be one of the first times that they would be able to spend some time together.

"How you feelin' mi amor?" he asked softly.

"Good. Tired."

Remy chuckled. "Yeah, I saw you play some football yesterday. Got some mean streak in you, petite."

"Hey, gotta win it for the team," Hayley joked. "What about you?"

"Doin' better now," he said with a wink.

"Good." She stood up and took a good look around the bus to make sure the students weren't being too rowdy. When she sat back down, Remy threw his arm around her shoulders, bringing her head down to his own shoulder. She laughed and relaxed as he stroked her hair gently.

"So what does Wolfy say about us?" he asked.

Hayley pulled away from him and grinned. "That if you hurt me then you'll get your heads and balls sliced off. He'll probably talk to you soon about our.. relationship." The word seemed so foreign to her.

He laughed. "Ah, the relationship talk." He shifted in his seat. "Remy never had one of those."

"Just be nice and don't smart talk him like you usually do," she instructed. "Basically, don't be yourself."

He made a face. "Damn, I don't know if I can do that. Maybe I'll get him in a good mood and just be charmin' Gambit." His red eyes flashed for a split second.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Please, you're going to need more than those pretty red eyes to win the pup over." She let out a yawn, stretching out her sore arms.

"Get some sleep, cherie. The bus ride is a couple hours long."

She shook her head. "Gotta keep an eye on the kids."

"Don't worry about the kids. Remy's got them under control."

She rolled her eyes again. "Sure." But her eyes begged to be closed and without any hesitation, she rested her head back onto Remy's shoulder and closed her eyes. It was only going to be a short nap.

"Wake me up in 30 minutes."

"Fuck you," Hayley growled, her eyes straining against the sun.

Remy chuckled. "Well, if you really want to.. though I've never done it at a mall." He let out a groan when Hayley's small fist connected with his arm. "Alright, alright, cherie." He chuckled again. "Remind me to never wake you up. Didn't think you'd be this feisty after a good nap."

She rolled her eyes. "I told you to wake me up in 30 minutes."

"Why 30?"

"Because 30 minutes is a good amount of time for a nap. It energizes you quick. Anything over makes you all groggy when you wake up," she informed him.

Remy nodded. "Yeah... Remy knows now."

They rounded the kids up and split into groups. Hayley hid her smile when Remy decided to team up with Logan and handle a wild group of boys who would much rather go off to the video game store than try on suits. The look on Logan's face was priceless and she giggled softly to herself, only to stop when he shot a death look at her. She mockingly flashed him a thumbs up before leaving with Jubilee and their group of girls.

"Oh how I remember being 13," Hayley joked as she handed one of the girls another dress for her to try on. It was her eighth time into the dressing room.

Jubilee giggled. "Hey, it's a rough year for us!" She leaned against the wall with a mischevious smirk on her face. "So, you going with Gambit?"

"I don't know. You going with Warren?" she shot back.

The small Asian stuck her tongue out.

"So, how old are you again?"

Jubilee chuckled and held up the dress that she had found, sighing lovingly. "Why don't you go find a dress? I can keep an eye on these girls."

"You sure?" Hayley asked, looking over at the doors. She could see the pile of dresses starting to poke out from underneath the door.

"Just go! You haven't gotten much time."

She laughed and decided to walk off on her own for a little while. She walked around the mall, sifting through the dresses. Her eyes fell upon a dress and immediately she knew this was the one. A beautiful dark shade of gold, strapless and length ending just above the knee. Small diamonds embroidered around the top of the dress. She was in love.

"Mmm, is this the dress you gon be wearing?"

Hayley jumped slightly but realized it was only Remy. Turning around, she smiled, holding the dress up to her body. "What do you think?"

Remy's lips curved upwards. He looked around and back at her with a sly look on his face. Hayley raised an eyebrow.

"What are you-,"

He grabbed the dress and tossed it to the ground. Before she could protest, he grabbed her hands and brought her close to his body. With one hand entwined with his and the other on his shoulder, they started to sway from side to side. Hayley sighed, looking up at Remy. He looked down at her, a smile.. a genuine smile plastered on his face.

She thanked her lucky stars that no one went shopping on a Wednesday morning.

"Slow dancing to 'Sex On Fire'. Nice," she commented.

Remy winked. "Just the way I like it," he said in a low sultry voice.

She giggled softly. "So, have you picked out what you're going to wear?"

"Doesn't matter what I wear- you're still gonna look better than me," he said with a chuckle.

Hayley made a face. "Whatever."

"It's true, cherie. So you gon save a dance for me?"

She flashed him a coy smile of her own. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Remy placed a hand over his chest, pretending to be wounded. "That hurts, beb."

Hayley laughed and threw her arms around him. "Be a man and suck it up." She withdrew her arms and picked up the dress from the ground. "You go off and find something nice to wear and I'm going to try this on."

"Need some help zipping up the dress, cherie? Remy can help- he's pretty good at zipping things up. Especially down."

She rolled her eyes but laughed at the joke. "I think Remy needs to go back and make sure his group of boys are doing okay picking out suits." She grabbed him by the collar however and kissed his lips. He let out a low moan and placed his hands on her hips.

"Mmm, I like where this is going," he growled.

"Ah, well hope you enjoyed the ride." Hayley pulled away with another kiss on the cheek and winked at him. He winked back and reluctantly walked away from her. She giggled when she heard him calling out the names of his kids, obviously lost. As she walked back to the room, her hands smoothed out her hair, making sure she looked presentable. Jubilee wouldn't stop with the questions.

Hayley walked back to the dressing room when a chill suddenly went down her spine. There was something wrong. She quickened her pace. "Fuck this," she muttered and broke out into a run towards the dressing room.

Jubilee and the three girls stood outside the dressing room, huddled together with frightened expressions on their faces. "What's going on?" Hayley said quickly.

Jubilee nodded towards one of the girls- Amy. "She's picking up other mutants. Not the other kids but someone else." She bit her lip. "She was in the dressing room when she just flipped out. It's something bad, Hayls."

Amy looked pale, sweat down her face. She was slumped against the wall, shaking uncontrollably. The other girls were sitting next to her, holding her hands and patting her back. Hayley knelt before her, patting her knee. "You okay, Aims?"

Amy shook her head.

"Could you tell me what you're feeling? Can you pinpoint what kind of powers this mutant has?"

The poor girl shut her eyes, whimpering. "They're, they're here.. here in the mall," she said softly. "Two of them... two of them are Level 4..." she inhaled deeply, "... one can change into anything... like, other people.. and the other.. the other controls metal-,"

"FUCK."

Hayley stood up and looked at Jubilee, sharing the same shocked look.

"What do we do? Do you think the others know?" Jubilee hissed.

Hayley shook her head. "I don't know... probably not. Maybe Logan if he's picking their scent up." She ran her hand through her hair, trying to think. She needed to act and act fast. There had to be some way to alert the others.

"What's going on?" asked one of the girls.

"Shit," she muttered. Her first priority were these girls. She needed to get them out of harm's way.

"Okay," Hayley said. "Okay, this is what we're going to do. We're going to get out of this mall and get you guys on the bus. That's what we're going to do right now and then we'll decide from there. We have to move quickly, okay girls?"

The three girls nodded their heads but their faces said otherwise. They looked scared straight.

"Hold hands. Stay low. Move fast."

They ran. They ran as fast as they could. Hayley could hear the girls holding back their tears. She hissed, hating that these kids were being put in the situation that they were in. She could see the escalators that were going down just before her.

_We're there.. we're almost there _she thought to herself.

"Quick, get on," Hayley said, stopping. Jubilee went first, then the three girls. She hopped on behind Amy, running down as fast as she could.

Suddenly Amy stopped in her tracks. "Amy! What's going on? C'mon, we gotta move!"

"They're here!" she screamed.

The escalators halted. Hayley could feel the ground shaking under her feet. To her horror, the metal started to unhinge from the walls, magically creating a barrier around them, giving them no chance of escape. The girls started to scream and cry loudly.

"Girls, move! Now!" Hayley bellowed. "Jubilee, blast that shit and get them out of here!"

Jubilee nodded. She threw her hands towards the metal wall. The electricity blasted through the metal, creating an opening for them.

"Go!" Hayley yelled, pushing the girls. The girls ran out as fast as they could.

"What about you?" Jubilee asked.

"Don't worry about me, just get the girls safe!" she yelled back.

There were loud screams coming from around the corner. Hayley's heart dropped as she and Jubilee ran through the hole and turned the corner.

Her eyes narrowed at the blue figure before her. Her hands were wrapped around the three girls, holding them tight. The woman's yellow eyes fell upon Hayley and Jubilee, her mouth forming a vicious smile.

"Long time no see."

"Let those girls go, Mystique," Jubilee ordered.

Mystique made no response but stood her ground.

"Fuck this." Hayley threw up her hand towards Mystique. The blue woman was sent flying all the way through the wall, dust rising up from where she made impact with the wall. "Stupid bitch," she muttered.

"Now, now. That's not the kind of language young ladies such as yourselves should speak."

Hayley's skin went cold. She turned around, her hands clenched into fists. Her green eyes widened in shock and anger as she saw the man wanted for ruining many lives and relationships, including her own. The man who created chaos and havoc amongst mutants and humans. The man who started a war that would ultimately bring the end of humankind. The man that the X-Men were determined to defeat.

Magneto.

* * *

I think I've finally got some inspiration back to continue the story. I'm sorry that I've kept you waiting. Thanks for being patient.

This story needs a little more action now... soooo here it is. Magneto's back and you know no one's gonna be happy about that. Will Remy and Hayley get to have that dance? Stay tuned.


	20. Chapter 20

020.

Magneto's feet hovered inches above the ground. His arms were crossed across his chest, a haughty and amused look on his face. He planted his feet firmly on the ground without a sound. His head was covered by the helmet that protected him from the professor's ability to control minds.

"Hayley, it's been a long time since I've seen you. You've turned into quite a lady," Magneto called out to her, his voice ringing clearly in the deserted mall.

Her heart was beating hard as if it wanted to break out of her chest. She clenched her fists and was ready to blast his metal ass with fire but the soft cries of the girls got her to actually use her brain and not follow her emotions. She needed to get them out of here first before she attempted to do anything.

Magneto seemed to have thought the same thing because his smile grew bigger. "There's no need for us to fight, Hayley. Charles wouldn't want you to fight out in the open like this. The little girls don't need to be a part of this mess."

Hayley growled under her breath. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Hayls," Jubilee spoke softly. She cleared her throat. "Please, just let the girls go. Let them go at least," Jubilee spoke loudly.

Magneto stared at them, lost in thought. He then smiled again. "I suppose that if I let these youngsters go, one of you would have to go with them. To ensure their safety."

Jubilee grimaced. "That's right. Hayley would go with them."

Hayley turned around sharply, shocked that Jubilee would say something like that. "What the fuck? Are you kidding me?" she hissed.

Jubilee shook her head. "Look, I'll be fine."

"He'll rip you apart!"

Magneto's chuckle interrupted their conversation. Hayley turned back to him. "What?" she snapped.

"Are you sure you want to leave us, Hayley? You don't want to stick around?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

He grinned. "Wouldn't you want to see an old friend?" He nodded his head, indicating her to turn around.

Hayley hesitated. She didn't want to turn her back against Magneto. He was dangerous.

"Hayley?"

Her heart nearly stopped at the familiar voice. She spun around quick and stared long and hard at John Allerdyce. He was clean shaven, dressed in dark blue jeans and a green shirt with some sort of design. He smiled at her weakly, a guilty look on his face.

"John."

"Hey."

She couldn't believe her eyes. He couldn't be there... how could he be there and teaming up with Magneto again? Her anger and heartache was starting to come out of her heart but she clenched her fists even tighter in an attempt to calm herself down. She wasn't going to allow him to get the best of her again.

"You look good," he commented.

Hayley remained silent. She didn't know how to respond to that or what to say to him. There were so many things left unsaid. But she had moved on from him. She started over and she was happy. Would it be worth her time to bring up those things again?

She turned around to face Magneto who seemed to have a triumphant smile on his face. Her face grew hard. "Let the girls go," she said sternly.

"Are you not happy to see your dearest Pyro? The one you fought so hard for over the years?" Magneto asked, completely ignoring her request.

"You let them go NOW," she said again with her more coldness in her request.

"They'll be fine," John interrupted. "Magneto's not going to hurt them."

Hayley turned back around and glared at him. "Stay the hell out of-"

There was something different about John.

His posture, his mannerisms... something was off about John. He seemed completely different from his stance to his tone of voice.

Her eyes examined him carefully and thoroughly.

"You're not John."

immediately she raised her hand towards the imposter and fire unleashed from her hands. The fake John smiled and leaped out of the way, his pale skin transforming into a shimmery blue. Fucking Mystique.

"You've grown wiser, Hayley," Magneto commented.

Without saying a word, she turned around to attack him but a metal bar came flying her way. She moved out of the way just in time. She looked at Jubilee who was holding onto the girls. "Jubilee, get the girls out of here! I'll be fine!" she yelled.

Jubilee hesitated but she gathered the girls and started to run towards safety. Magneto and Mystique both seemed uninterested in the group of young girls. Their eyes were set upon Hayley and Hayley alone.

"You know, Hayley. You have amazing gifts and talents. The Brotherhood could use someone of your caliber. There is so much more inside of you that you don't even know," Magneto commented.

"Bite me," she growled.

Mystique stepped forward and leaped into the air, coming at her with a leg pointed towards her. But Hayley merely used her telekinesis to push the transformer out of the way. She snorted. It was rather amusing to see Mystique trying so hard to beat her when in reality, there was no chance in hell that this woman would match up to her.

"Don't fight it. Don't you want to be on the winning side? We... I can help you find your real strength, the real you."

"She said no and I suggest you back off of her, boss."

Hayley turned around to find Remy approaching her, cards in hand. He stood alone, his eyes hard and protective. She shot him a quick smile, grateful that she had back-up.

"Oh? And who is this young man?" Magneto smirked. "Could this be Pyro's replacement? You move on so quick."

Hayley was about ready to snap but Remy held a firm hand on her shoulder.

"The name is Gambit. You must be the high and mighty Magneto that everyone talks about," Remy called out. "Don't see what's so scary about an old man in a cape."

Magneto did not look amused. Mystique rolled her eyes. "You sure know how to pick them," she said dryly.

Hayley started to move forward but Remy grabbed her arm. "Don't," he said. "That's probably what this hag wants." He cleared his throat. "Look, we don't want no trouble. It'd be best if you two get outta here."

"Consider joining the Brotherhood, Hayley," Magneto said, ignoring Remy's warning. "Charles can only teach you so much... we can teach you more. I can let you know the full extent of your powers. You would be a perfect asset to our team."

"I'm not joing anything that involves you," Hayley snapped.

"But would you consider if you knew that your friend was one of us now?" he asked.

Hayley's eyes widened when from behind the rack of jackets, Rogue appeared. The Southern belle looked tired and guilty as she stepped forward next to Mystique.

"ROGUE?"

"Isn't it funny how things work out?" Mystique chuckled. She threw an arm around Rogue whose head hung low.

"And since you so rudely declined our offer, I think it's best we return the kindess," Magneto said firmly and snapped his fingers.

From all around, mutants emerged. There had to be at least fifty and their numbers were increasing by the second. Their eyes were full of hatred and rage. Hayley recognized some of them including the Multiple Man and Juggernaut. How Magneto managed to get all these mutants on his side was beyond her. She and Remy were outnumbered.

"Be careful with the big one," Hayley muttered under her breath, referring to Juggernaut.

"Don't worry about Remy, cherie. I ain't letting any of these bastards touch you," he replied back with a wink. "What you gonna do about Roguey?"

"I don't know," she said, staring back at her friend. Rogue had her head up this time and looking back at her. Hayley wished that she could've been blessed with the gift of telepathy- it would've been most useful at a time like this. What on Earth was Rogue thinking? "Ready for this?"

"Would be nice if we had some back-up but what can you do? Let's do it, cherie."

"Don't think we're gonna let you two have all the fun!"

Hayley and Remy turned around to see Logan, Bobby, Piotr, Warren, Kitty and Jubilee with them. Logan's eyes were fixated on Magneto.

"Long time no see Logan," Mystique called out flirtaciously.

"Rogue?" Bobby said, shocked. Kitty had the same shocked expression as well.

"Finish them!" Magneto shouted.

The Brotherhood launched a full-on attack on the X-Men. Hayley moved out of the way as one of them shot spikes from their hands. She raised her hand as the spikes continued to speed towards her, stopping them and forcing them to turn around and attack the mutant. The mutant screamed in pain, stumbling backwards.

Hayley spotted a poor mother and her child, huddling in the corner. She ran towards them. "You okay?"

"Please don't hurt my child!" the mother wailed, holding her baby girl close. The little girl clutched onto her mother's arms. Hayley smiled softly.

"I won't. I'm going to help you get out of here," she said, reassuringly. "I'll keep you safe."

"You sure about that?"

Hayley turned around to find the Juggernaut, an evil grin on his face. He tried to intimidate them by cracking his knuckles but she wasn't phased one bit. She merely stood up with a bored look on her face. "Really? You think you're some tough badass with that thing on your head?"

"Don't you know who I am?!" he roared, obviously angered by Hayley's lack of fear.

She smirked. "Well, don't you know who I am? I'm a Level fucking Five mutant who can kick your ass anytime of the day." With a wave of her hand, Juggernaut flew backwards, colliding into the other mutants who had spotted Hayley. They all groaned and shouted curses under the heavy weight of the Juggernaut.

Hayley turned back around and reached out for the woman's hand. "C'mon, let's get out of here!" she ordered.

The woman, holding onto her daughter, grabbed Hayley's hand and they raced through the carnage and destruction of the mall. While running, Hayley could see other civilians running around in panic, looking for an escape.

"HEY! OVER HERE!" Hayley yelled at them. Some of them automatically ran to them while a few stood, suspicious of who Hayley was.

"It's alright, just come! She's okay!" the woman cried out.

"Please get us out of here!" they all cried.

Quickly, Hayley counted heads. There were many of them and she wasn't quite sure how to get this large group out of the building. She looked around for some sort of help. Everyone was off fighting the Brotherhood.

"Damnit, think think think," she muttered.

"Dickhead! Over here!"

Hayley's ears perked up and a lightbulb went off in her head when she saw Kitty Pryde egging Juggernaut on.

"Kitty!" she called out, hating herself that she had to resort to this. "Kitty, I need your help!"

"I'm a little busy here!" Kitty shouted back, phasing herself as Juggernaut ran through her.

Hayley groaned and raised her hand again. The Juggernaut was elevated off the ground and he yelled out curses and flailed his arms around as he tried to get himself back on the ground.

Kitty, looking a little relieved, ran towards her. "What?" she snapped.

Hayley ignored the attitude in her voice. "Get these people out of here. I can't do it fast enough and who knows what'll happen here with all these powers. You're the only one who can get them out of here the fastest."

Kitty looked as though she was going to sass her but she held her tongue. She nodded and turned to the frightened group. "Everyone, hold hands and don't let go! Whatever happens, don't let go!"

"Thank you Kitty," Hayley said. She made sure all of them went through the walls safely. The mother that Hayley had rescued earlier, gave her a thankful nod before disappearing behind the concrete walls.

"Now, as for you," she said, turning back to the Juggernaut. He glared at her.

"You betta put me down or there's gonna be hell to pay!"

"Oh that's nice," Hayley feigned a yawn. "So what would you like to go through? The walls, glass or up the ceiling? There are so many possibilities."

Suddenly she felt a blow to her back and she fell forward, groaning. The ground shook underneath her and Hayley got up quickly, knowing that the Juggernaut had made it back to the ground. With fire in her hands, she turned around to blast the scumbag who had attacked her from behind.

"Rogue?"

Rogue grinned. "Surprised?"

"What the fuck is going on?"

"Don't you see, Hayls? The Brotherhood has given me more than the damn X-Men could ever give me. They treat me like a family, like I'm a part of something."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Give me a fucking break, Rogue. That's the biggest crap I've ever heard you say."

Rogue glared. "Say what you will about them but I ain't leaving the Brotherhood. They're my real family now." She nodded her head at the Juggernaut.

Hayley levitated herself high in the sky as the Juggernaut ran towards her but dug his feet into the floor to bring him to a stop. She dropped back to the ground, the fire still in her hands and a smirk on her face. "Oh Juggy, haven't you had enough?" she instigated.

The Juggernaut growled and was about to run towards her again when Rogue placed her hand on him. "I've got this," she said calmly.

"You sure?" the Juggernaut asked.

Rogue grinned. "100%."

The Juggernaut suddenly didn't look so hot. His tan face started to turn a bit pale. His body started to shake and the veins began to pop out from his body. He gasped for air, struggling to stand. "You- you- you bitch!" he managed to blurt out.

"Don't fuck with the X-Men," Rogue simply said, removing her hand from his shoulder. The Juggernaut fell to the ground, his eyes closed. He laid perfectly still.

She couldn't believe her eyes. "Fucking Rogue!" Hayley ran towards her best friend, throwing her arms around her. "I can't believe you're here right now! Where the hell have you been?!"

"Hayls, I don't think right now is the appropriate time to discuss this," Rogue laughed. "C'mon, I'm in the mood to throw some heavy shit at people."

The two girls raced back to their friends. Logan was busy slicing mutants up and surprising them when his wounds healed immediately. Warren dodged attacks, left and right. He was carrying Bobby by the arms and Bobby shot out ice from his hands upon the Brotherhood mutants.

Hayley threw a fireball at a couple of mutants as her eyes raced around the mess in front of her. Where was Remy?

"Warren!" Hayley yelled when the two flew over her. "Where's Gambit!"

"He's been fighting Magneto!"

Ignoring Warren and Bobby's pleas for her to stop, Hayley ran around aimlessly. She spotted Jubilee as she fought off Mystique. "Jubs! Have you seen Gambit?!" When Jubilee didn't answer, Hayley angrily threw her hands towards Mystique, sending her hard against the coat racks.

"Downstairs," Jubilee panted. "It didn't look good- I wanted to help but he refused and told me I was needed here."

Hayley nodded and ran. Her heart was racing. She didn't want to think what Magneto was doing to Remy. She ran down the stairs.

A huge piece of metal flew past her and Hayley saw it exploding into little pieces. She ducked to avoid the chunks hitting her but stood back up to find Magneto with a rather amused look on his face and Remy with his cards out. His face looked tired and a small line of blood trickled down his face.

"Is that still the best you got?" Remy taunted.

"You have some fight in you. I will give you that," Magneto said. Both his arms were raised up towards Remy.

From all around, pieces of metal, all various sizes attacked Remy. There were too many for Remy to defend himself with. He groaned and fell to the ground.

"Remy!" Hayley yelled and ran towards him. He coughed harshly but somehow managed to flash Hayley a smile.

"Cherie, it's good to see you."

"Shit, Remy. What the hell are you thinking, fighting him?"

"You worry too much about Remy. It's flattering."

"Well I have to now. You're my boyfriend," she snapped.

Remy laughed again.

"So nice of you to join us," Magneto interrupted.

Hayley turned around, furious with Magneto. "Why the fuck can't you leave us alone?"

"Such language coming from a beautiful woman like yourself." Magneto sighed. "It's a shame that you waste yourself with the wrong side."

A huge piece of metal came flying her way but she moved it out of her way easily. She shot a stream of fire at Magneto but he was just as fast as she- he had another metal piece blocking the fire.

Remy had gotten up by this time. "Lemme help you, joli." He flung a card at the metal and it exploded instantly.

The only time Hayley had seen Magneto finally get taken down was the night of the Alcatraz incident when Dr. McCoy had stabbed him with shots of the Cure.

Magneto had fallen to the ground, not a sound coming from his lips. He was unable to move, too shocked from the blast.

"Holy shit," Hayley and Remy said at the same time.

"Erik!"

Mystique's loud screams caused Hayley and Remy to cover their ears. She ran to him, urging him to get up. "Erik! What did they do to you?! What did they do?!" She turned to them. "What have you done?!"

"Given him a taste of his own medicine," Hayley snapped.

Mystique got up to her feet, her hands into fists. "You little bitch... you are going to pay!"

"Bring it!" Hayley shot back at her.

A breeze rolled and out of nowhere, Callisto appeared. The small tattooed woman shot an angry look at her before turning to Mystique.

"We need to get out of here. The police are coming and they've got Cure cartridges."

Mystique screamed in frustration. "Get Magneto out," she ordered. Callisto didn't argue but merely walked over to their fallen leader and with a blink of an eye, the two disappeared.

The angry blue woman stared at them with such venom and hatred in her eyes. "This isn't over."

"I'm glad it isn't, bitch," Hayley retorted.

When Mystique ran off, Remy let out a loud laugh and picked Hayley off her feet, spinning her off. "Ah, now this is the Hayley that got me hooked. This sexy, feisty beb... Remy likes," he growled. "Perhaps we can take this elsewhere?"

"Shut it, Cajun," she said, laughing. "We gotta get out of here."

"Alright, cherie. Hold on." He walked over to a rack and pulled off a black tuxedo. He turned around and held it up to his body. "What you think?"

Hayley laughed and shook her head. "I think we better round up the kids and go home." She took his hand as they walked down the stairs together. She couldn't help that despite holding hands with Remy LeBeau, Magneto was up to no good and something big was going to happen. She couldn't shake off the feeling.

"C'mon cherie," Remy coaxed, pulling onto her hand.

"I'm coming," she replied, putting on a smile for him.

* * *

Thanks again for the reviews; I really appreciate them. Hope you're enjoying the story- sorry if it seems a bit.. filler-ish.


End file.
